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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1999 Week 8 Hansard (25 August) . . Page.. 2418 ..

MR MOORE (continuing):

secretary that she began condemning the use of mediation within one hour, even though the hospital had not asked for a response for 48 hours, to give the ANF the chance to take stock and think about it. However, I must also add, to make sure the picture is complete, that the ANF did agree to meet and discuss with Professor Ellwood what was meant by mediation. My understanding is that that meeting took place either yesterday or the day before - I think it was the day before - to go through some of the issues.

Is the hospital being reasonable? The hospital's procedures and actions have been reasonable throughout. The offer which the Canberra Hospital put up included a salary packaging approach as a substitution for salary rises, which should have the effect of maintaining Canberra nurses at the top of national comparisons. It was a no-increase but packaging approach; it was not unreasonable. This same approach was accepted only two days ago by professional and administrative staff at the Calvary Hospital. It was accepted in spite of the approach taken by their union, the CPSU, demonstrating that hospital staff are prepared to accept a sensible approach that is put in that way.

It is an approach that deals with negotiations that are not just about demands but about trade-offs. What can we trade off? What can we give? How can we move? That is what negotiations are about. They are not just about one side demanding and the other side giving in. I think that is a critical part of how negotiations go. (Extension of time granted)

What is it the Government is trying to achieve? What does it want? The Government wants negotiations to commence immediately. The Government wants such negotiations to be backed by the immediate cessation of all industrial action which disrupts patient care. After all, patient care is our prime focus, and I understand that that is also the prime focus of nurses. I do not miss that and I have never suggested otherwise. The Government wants negotiations that cover means of increasing take-home pay, including salary packaging, but negotiations that include debate on increased salary. We do not mind debate on that issue. The Government wants parties to sit down together in good faith.

The Government wants discussions on the basis of staffing levels based on accurate data and sensible hospital practices. I see in the letter that was written today that there is an attempt to seek a way to find benchmarks. This is an appropriate thing to sit down and negotiate on rather than demanding that we agree with you before we negotiate. It is something to sit down and negotiate on.

Should Ministers negotiate personally? Certainly the ANF have sought to sidestep the Canberra Hospital management and negotiate with Ministers. They have implied that only Ministers can provide additional public money to comply with their demands. I think that Mr Osborne has implied that that is the meaning of his motion. I do not accept that as the meaning of the motion. The budget for 1999-2000 has already been passed by this Assembly and there cannot be an additional injection of money into an already well-funded hospital. It is a hospital that by all our measures, with one exception, is 30 per cent overfunded. The one exception is within the Canberra Hospital.

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