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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 13 Hansard (4 December) . . Page.. 4581 ..

Mr Hird: On a point of order, Mr Speaker: I am sick and tired of those over there asserting that we are not responsible. Mr Wood asked a supplementary question, and they are just talking amongst themselves. They are not interested in the facts of what the Minister for Health is talking about.

Members interjected.

MR SPEAKER: Order! The house will come to order. There is no point of order in what Mr Hird said. However, if you are going to have discussions, I suggest that you either keep your voice down while the answer is being given and allow the person who asked the question to hear it or have your conversations outside. I address that to everybody.

MRS CARNELL: Mr Speaker, Mr Wood asked me a question about whether the information in this document was actually selling the hospital or promoting the hospital. I was running through the document to explain to everyone what is actually in this document. There is a run-down on the Clinical School, what has happened and where it is up to; but I do not actually see at the bottom of it "and please come in and use it".

There is reference to Mental Health Services, Mr Speaker. Yesterday, I was asked a question about Mental Health Services. I have to say, Ms Reilly - Ms Reilly, listen just for a moment - that I was horrified when we actually checked about what your staff member did to an ASO2 yesterday. It is fine getting stuck into me; but, Mr Speaker, let me tell you what actually happened. Ms Reilly said that, when you phone the number, the people in Mental Health Services do not know anything about any changes. Ms Reilly got a staff member, or somebody, to ring at lunchtime - we track all of our calls - and ask what changes or improvements were planned for the next 12 months. The ASO2 who was on the phone at lunchtime said - and again I quote - that she would take a message and get the relevant officer, who was obviously out at lunch at the time, to ring back later. The caller did not take up the offer, and hung up. Mr Speaker, you do not set up ASO2s. Quite seriously, you can set up this side of the house; but do not have a go at junior public servants.

MR OSBORNE: My question is to the Minister for Fair Trading, Mr Humphries. Minister, in May this year, the petrol price in Canberra was 78.7c a litre. When Woolworths entered the market in September, its opening price was 71.9c. At about that time, you said in the media that you expected that the ACT would follow other markets and experience a price reduction of up to 10c a litre from the 78c mark. You said in the Assembly that you could not guarantee a fall, but predicted lower prices on a more sustainable basis than the flash-in-the-pan reduction that followed Burmah's entry into the market.

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