Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .

Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1998 Week 5 Hansard (27 August) . . Page.. 1474 ..

MR SPEAKER: Mr Moore, would you like to add to your answer to Mr Quinlan?

MR MOORE: I wish, very calmly, to add to the answer to the question Mr Quinlan asked me about the National Capital Private Hospital and the intensive care unit because I have now taken further advice on it. Separate to the service agreement contract between Health Care of Australia and the Canberra Hospital - remember Health Care of Australia, Mr Speaker, is the group that owns the National Capital Private Hospital - Health Care of Australia approached the Canberra Hospital separately asking them to provide an intensive care unit service for the private hospital. In the interests of not further fragmenting intensive care unit services in the ACT, the Canberra Hospital agreed and there is to be one management structure for the combined unit. Payment for intensivists and registrars and management of the unit is still under final negotiation, but the intent is for full cost recovery, including part of the manager's salary.

MS CARNELL (Chief Minister and Treasurer): Mr Speaker, I ask for leave of the Assembly to make a ministerial statement on the outcomes of the National Small Business Summit and the ACT budget initiatives for small business.

Leave granted.

MS CARNELL: The ACT Government is committed to the creation of a strong and diverse small business sector in the ACT. Currently, there are more than 13,000 small- and medium-sized businesses operating in Canberra, employing more than half the work force. The National Small Business Summit that was held in Perth on 9 and 10 July provided an opportunity for State and Territory small business Ministers to listen to the concerns of small business, discuss key issues and develop strategies to improve the small business environment. The ACT Government was represented at the summit and it was encouraging to see that, in relation to a number of issues discussed, we are already well on track to achieving a positive environment for small business in the ACT.

A number of issues were identified to progress regulatory reform initiatives and further reduce the red tape and compliance burdens placed on small business. In particular, the summit found that there is extensive use of business-related quasi-regulation in Commonwealth, State and Territory jurisdictions, which is likely to result in significant costs to business. The term "quasi-regulation" refers to the range of rules, instruments and standards that business is encouraged to comply with, even though compliance is not legally required. To address this issue, the summit agreed that where quasi-regulation leads to significant costs to business it should be subject to scrutiny and review processes similar to mandatory regulation. Also, where government agencies are responsible

Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .