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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2002 Week 7 Hansard (5 June) . . Page.. 1929 ..

MR STANHOPE (continuing):

government has received since self-government. That was why the people, at the last election, chose to vote for the Labor Party to an extent that they never did for your party.

There are very good reasons for it. Part of the reason that they abandoned you, part of the reason that you got the drubbing that you did in the election, part of the reason you did so badly was that you failed the people of Canberra so badly in relation to the fundamentals. You failed to deliver quality health services. You failed to deliver good education services. You were more intent on giving free bus travel than providing much-needed services.

Mr Smyth: On a point of order, Mr Speaker: my question was whether the Chief Minister's statement that he was not responsible or section 13 of the act is accurate. He is not talking about which one was true. In one, he said that he is not responsible, that he does not have the power. The act says he actually does have the power. They cannot both be right. One has to be right and one has to be wrong.

MR STANHOPE: Very erudite. I am responsible, as Minister for Health, for the delivery of quality health services to the people of the ACT, something that the people of the ACT aspire to have and, after seven long years of Liberal neglect, they failed to receive.

Mr Smyth: Are you responsible for the hospital?

MR STANHOPE: I am responsible-

MR SPEAKER: Chief Minister, please resume your seat. Mr Smyth, a moment ago, you raised a point of order about the Chief Minister not answering your questions. The Chief Minister has risen and he is talking about his responsibility and you will not let him answer-you keep heckling him. Will you let him answer the question? Resume your seat.

Mr Smyth: Mr Speaker, it is specifically section 13 of the Health and Community Care Services Act.

MR SPEAKER: We know what the question is. Just resume your seat. Chief Minister, finish off the answer, please.

MR STANHOPE: Mr Speaker, I am the Minister for Health. I am responsible for the delivery of quality health services to the people of the ACT, a responsibility I take particularly seriously, having regard to the seven years of neglect which health received at the hands of the Liberal Party. I take the responsibility particularly seriously, noting the enormous drubbing that you took at the election as a result of your neglect of the fundamentals of life in the ACT, namely quality health, quality education and sustainable planning. That is why the Liberal Party took the beating it did.

As well, of course, there were all those other things: your illegal behaviour in relation to Bruce Stadium, the fact that you broke the law, the fact that you were a government without integrity, and the fact that you fell out of favour because of the incompetence of

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