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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2002 Week 9 Hansard (20 August) . . Page.. 2446 ..

MR SPEAKER: Anyway, I am sure that Mr Stanhope is coming to the point.

MR STANHOPE: Actually, I think what I need to do is to release after question time the figures over the last five years for the waiting lists at both Canberra and Calvary. We will see a significant trending down has occurred over the last few years in the waiting list. Even now, just from some figures that are available to me, at the Canberra Hospital there has been a significant downwards trend and the situation flattened out in July 2002 quite significantly from what it was, say, just two, 21/2 or three years ago.

Let's go through the exercise of looking at the waiting list numbers. If we look at the waiting list numbers in July 1998, the waiting list numbers in July 1999 and the waiting list numbers in July 2000, we will find that the waiting list numbers now are lower than they were in July 1998, lower than they were in July 1999 and lower than they were in July 2000. That is what we will find. I am not quite sure what it proves. I have explained the government's approach to health funding. I have explained that this government is prepared to genuinely fund health services in the territory, to the tune of $462 million in this budget, a 13 per cent increase over what you were prepared to provide, budget to budget. That is what we have done.

Just think about that, just reflect on that, and let's go round Australia and look at which government has increased health funding by 13 per cent budget to budget and when. Actually, we might go to that tomorrow; we might go to the last time a 13 per cent increase in health funding, budget to budget, was achieved by a government in its first budget. I have not looked at that, but let's have a look at it. We might go to exactly what you did with waiting lists when you were in government. I am happy to do that. I am also happy to stand by this government's spending commitments on health. I am happy to stand by the issues that we deem to be priorities, the fact that we sunk significant amounts of money into additional services for people with cancer, significant amounts.

Mr Stefaniak: What has been achieved?

MR STANHOPE: Mr Stefaniak asks what it has achieved that we have put millions and millions of dollars into that. Do you want to ask that again, Bill? Do you want me to go public on Bill Stefaniak asking about what is the significance of putting millions of dollars more into oncology services?

Mr Stefaniak: What has it done? What have we spent it on? Where is the improvement?

MR STANHOPE: We might talk about that, Bill. Bill Stefaniak wants to know why we spent more money on oncology services. Bill Stefaniak wants to know what difference it made that we spent millions of dollars on oncology services. Is that what you want to know, Mr Stefaniak?

Opposition members interjecting-

MR SPEAKER: Order! Come on, settle down! This is just getting to the point of being ridiculous. Wind up, please, Chief Minister.

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