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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2002 Week 8 Hansard (26 June) . . Page.. 2254 ..

MR STANHOPE (continuing):

Canberrans that rejected your stewardship of Canberra. Just think about the number of Canberrans that were asked to vote on your performance and found you wanting-and rejected you in the massive way that they did, and quite rightly so.

They rejected you because of your incapacity to manage, for your mismanagement, for your incompetence and because you did not make the commitment to the health and education services of Canberra that the people of Canberra wanted. And that is why you see in this budget what you see-$27 million of real money, cash money, being injected into education. No free buses-$27 million of extra money for education; $36 million of extra new money for health.

Mr Smyth: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I don't think the Chief Minister wants to avoid answering the question, but it was about the lack of outpatient services at Calvary. This is a health issue. He seems to be talking about education. The record is stuck. Can I have an answer to my question, please?

MR SPEAKER: I refer the Chief Minister to standing order 118 (a) and I just ask him to confine himself to the subject matter of the question.

MR STANHOPE: Thank you, Mr Speaker, I will. There is no lack of output at emergency services at Calvary Hospital. In fact, they have increased to 45,000; they are increasing dramatically. Output at the Calvary Hospital has increased dramatically, and we are supporting it. That is why we have injected an additional $36 million into the health system in this one year. That is why we provided an additional $8.7 million to the Canberra Hospital in an additional appropriation bill. That is why we have repeated that additional funding in this budget.

That is why we have provided an additional $4 million over the next four years for respite care. That is why we have provided another $4 million in this budget for mental health services. It is why we have provided another $10 million extra funding over four years for disability services-more funding in one year than you provided in the last three years for disability services. Just dwell on it. We are providing, in one year, in extra funds for disability services for the most vulnerable people in this community, more than you provided in the last three years in additional funding.

We are providing, over the next four years, an additional $10.3 million in disability services to actually overcome the major deficiencies in disability service delivery that Justice Gallop revealed in his report in relation to disability services. That is what we are doing.

I can't believe the temerity of you to get up in this place and seek to attack this government in relation to our commitment to health services in this community.

MR SMYTH: Mr Speaker, I ask a supplementary question. I will make it easy for the Chief Minister. In the 2001-2002 Budget at a glance, for the number of outpatients it says 210,000. In your document it says it goes up to 210,350.

MR SPEAKER: That is preamble, Mr Smyth. Are you ever going to get to the question?

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