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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2002 Week 10 Hansard (28 August) . . Page.. 2947 ..
MR STANHOPE (continuing):
In any event, waiting lists, as we all know, are not a particularly good indicator of health outcomes. For years, Labor was lambasted by Mr Moore on this theme. For instance, a far better indicator is the figure for the number of people on the ACT public hospital's elective surgery waiting list who had operations-in 2001-02, a total of 7,946 people. In the interests of comparing like with like, I have included a table in this answer which records the number of people on the waiting list at the end of July for the past five years. It shows that at July 2002 there were 3,921 people. We now know that on 7 August there were 4,054 people. I do regret the inconsistency there, but the question was taken on notice on 30 July and the officer who prepared the response prepared it on 7 August and gave the answer as of 7 August.
The numbers over the last five years are interesting. In July 2002, there were 3,921 people on the waiting lists; in July 2001, 3,599; July 2000, 4,105; and July 1999, 4,643. You were minister for health just before July 1998, were you not, Mr Humphries? Mr Humphries' legacy as minister for health was a waiting list of 4,660 people. In July 1998, just after Mr Humphries ceased his reign as minister for health, the waiting list was on 4,660.
Mr Humphries: Are you going to table those figures for us to see? You said that there was a table there.
MR STANHOPE: There is the table I have just read out. I table the document, Mr Speaker. I present the following paper:
Hospital waiting lists-Answer to question on notice asked of Mr Stanhope by Mr Humphries (Leader of the Opposition) and taken on notice on 21 August 2002.
MR HUMPHRIES: I thank the minister for that. I have a supplementary question. Minister, are you saying that the waiting lists rose from 3,921 to 4,054 in the space of just seven days, between 31 July and 7 August? If so, what does that say about the projected waiting list figures for the rest of this year? In particular, what does it say about your claim that the waiting lists are coming down?
MR SPEAKER: Do you want the document that you just tabled, Mr Stanhope?
MR STANHOPE: Yes. I am very suspicious when Mr Humphries quotes numbers back at me. I no longer accept them.
Mr Humphries: They are your numbers.
MR STANHOPE: No, the number you just quoted-if we have a look at the Hansard, we will see; I have got it here-was not the number I just said. I rest my case.
Mr Humphries: What was the number you just said? You quoted all these different numbers, so tell us which was the right one.
MR STANHOPE
: That is what I mean. We are quoting numbers all over the place. I need to check. I am not sure; you have got me again. The number that was in the answer was the number as of 7 August. The number you asked for in estimates was the July figure. I have to confess that I do not know whether it was the 1 July figure or the
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