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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2002 Week 14 Hansard (11 December) . . Page.. 4286 ..

MR STANHOPE (continuing):

For the first time, an ACT government has proposed to appoint an overarching peak health council, the ACT Health Council. The ACT Health Council will be comprised of three clinicians, three consumers and three representatives of community organisations. The council will be chaired by the chief executive of the health portfolio. I will attend meetings and the council has been tasked with overseeing and monitoring implementation of the health action plan.

In the last couple of days, I have extended the period during which expressions of interest may be submitted regarding membership the ACT Health Council. I have to say that the Health Council was a proposal that arose out of the health summit. I think it was supported by every single participant and representative. It was unanimously accepted as something that has been missing, a gap in community, clinician and consumer representation at the highest level of decision making in the ACT.

Its terms of reference are to oversee the implementation of the health action plan. That was the strategy that the ACT government developed. We wanted to involve community organisation, we wanted to involve consumers of health services, and we wanted to involve community representatives in overseeing this plan. Ms Tucker and Mr Smyth want a public servant to sit down over the holiday period in the ACT-

Ms Tucker: I said June-that is a long holiday.

MR STANHOPE: It is March we are looking at, for you.

Ms Tucker: No, June.

MR STANHOPE: I did not think the Liberals supported you on that, Ms Tucker. I certainly do not.

Mr Smyth: If you would listen, you would know that I just said that we would support you.

MR STANHOPE: It is June. The proposal now is that we get a public servant to do the job. We ignore the clinicians, we ignore the community, we ignore the consumer representatives and we bring down a Clayton's/Smyth list of time lines, percentages and costings.

Mr Smyth: You have not done any costings, clearly.

MR STANHOPE: I have done costings. The costings are in the budget. They are there for all to see: a 12 per cent increase in health funding this year. That is it. There will not be a second appropriation bill, and this government is not closing down any hospitals.

You mob can close down hospitals or you can close down schools. You can close things down. You can do it. You have the numbers. This is a minority government. If Ms Tucker wants to move a motion in the next sitting that we close down Ainslie Primary School to provide some additional health funding, then fine, go ahead and do it. Have some courage.

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