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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 12 Hansard (11 November) . . Page.. 3915 ..

MRS CARNELL (continuing):

Mr Speaker, this is the same MLA who wants to be the next Treasurer. He still does not understand the difference between accrual budgeting and accounting and the old cash system. Of course, he liked the old cash system, because it meant you could try to cover up such things as blow-outs in Health - in fact, four out of four blow-outs in Health. You could do things like use business rules, but even they did not work very well.

This Government has spent additional money on our health and community care services and we have also made significant savings - exactly what we said we would do. Indeed, by the end of 1998-99 savings of more than $27m will have been achieved in Health. All of those dollars have been put back into the health system. Those savings and new expenditure have provided for things like - - -

Ms McRae: Extra expenditure, but imaginary savings. Very good!

MR SPEAKER: Order! I will start dealing with people if this continues.

MRS CARNELL: Mr Speaker, those savings and new expenditure have provided for such things as cardio-thoracic surgery - something the mob opposite - - -

Mr Berry: Not yet.

MRS CARNELL: The surgeon has started. He is actually on the payroll now, so we are very close.

Mr Berry: Not one person.

MRS CARNELL: He has actually started; there is no doubt. They have provided an adolescent unit, a new renal dialysis centre, a convalescent unit to be opened in the next couple of months, a new mothers and babies centre and more than 1,100 fewer people on our surgery waiting lists. I am pleased to be able to report to the Assembly today that waiting lists for elective surgery are at their lowest point for more than four years. You have to go back to July 1993 to find fewer people waiting for surgery in the ACT. This Government has managed to reduce the number waiting from 4,569 to just 3,400 in its term - a reduction of 25 per cent. Mr Berry obviously thinks that is the wrong priority. He said yesterday that spending this extra money on health was the wrong priority. I am sure that the 1,169 fewer people on the waiting list did not think it was a wrong priority. Look at the money Mr Berry spent on health. He blew out four health budgets out of four and managed to make waiting lists go up by over 100 per cent - 180 per cent, I think.

Our approach has also meant that we are spending more money on mental health, disability services, immunisation programs, health promotion and home and community care. Obviously, Mr Berry thinks that they are the wrong priorities. I do not; nor do the people on this side of the house. We have brought our health budget under control. Obviously, Mr Berry thinks that is the wrong priority as well.

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