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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1999 Week 8 Hansard (25 August) . . Page.. 2413 ..
MR OSBORNE (continuing):
can all live with. It is sad for me to have to do this. However, I have no assurance that the Minister, if left to his own devices, will take the proper initiative. I am sure that the majority of members thought Mr Moore would have taken care of this matter many months ago. Instead, we face the very real possibility of this dispute dragging on even into next year.
I appreciate that Mr Moore is loath to become involved in negotiation personally and would rather leave this portion of his portfolio to subordinates at the hospital. However, as I relayed earlier, I have noted several statements made by Mr Moore, some dating back as far as 1992, that Ministers should involve themselves in problem areas of their departments, and I know that he considers himself a hands-on Minister. Now that Mr Moore is back with us, I once again read from Hansard his response to the "grave concern" motion last year when the issue was deleted. He said:
I am very pleased that the indication from this Assembly yesterday, after a long debate, was that I need to keep my hand strongly on the tiller.
You also said, Minister:
Labor may forget that this Assembly removed from the motion they put out that I was not to meddle. I have to keep a strong hand on it.
He then went on:
I have to tell you that what this means ...
Quite clearly, the Minister does like to be involved. It is my understanding that Commissioner Deegan has said that all players need to be at the negotiating table. Mr Moore has said previously that industrial action was an internal hospital matter with which he would not interfere. Considering the history and context of this dispute, I disagree. The health budget has blown out considerably, although no-one can say for sure how much of it has been capped by the Government. Surely the person who needs to come to the table is the one who knows and has responsibility for carrying out the riding instructions of the Executive within the framework of budget cutbacks, bed closures and job losses.
It is important for the welfare of the Canberra community that this dispute be settled as quickly as possible. The work of nurses is vital yet greatly undervalued. When a person is admitted to hospital, the nurse is the health professional they will encounter most often. It is therefore essential that nurses be appropriately paid for their work according to their individual responsibilities and that sufficient resources be allocated for them to do their job properly. Given the series of measures which have been implemented over the past 12 months or so to rein in the costs, it is time that this matter be settled to the general satisfaction of both parties and that it be done by those who have the real power to negotiate.
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