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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2004 Week 06 Hansard (Thursday, 24 June 2004) . . Page.. 2708 ..

MR QUINLAN (Treasurer, Minister for Economic Development, Business and Tourism, and Minister for Sport, Racing and Gaming) (8.59): I move amendment No 5 circulated in my name [see schedule 3 at page 2761].

This is a simple addition to clarify the use of the dictionary.

Amendment agreed to.

MR QUINLAN (Treasurer, Minister for Economic Development, Business and Tourism, and Minister for Sport, Racing and Gaming) (9.00): I move amendment No 6 circulated in my name [see schedule 3 at page 2761].

Amendment agreed to.

Dictionary, as amended, agreed to.

Title agreed to.

Bill, as amended, agreed to.

Minister for Health

Motion of want of confidence

Debate resumed.

MR CORBELL (Minister for Health and Minister for Planning) (9.01): There are three issues in contention in this motion of no confidence this evening. The first is that Mr Smyth claims that I misled the Assembly by claiming mental health nursing scholarships have been funded by the Stanhope government when they have not been. This is simply incorrect. Mr Smyth was advised, in answer to a question on notice through the last estimates round, that provision was made in 2002-03 for an amount of $300,000. This came about following a decision to spend 50 per cent of $600,000 provided for general nursing scholarships on mental health nursing scholarships. This occurred in the 2002-03 budget context. In estimates when I was asked when this occurred, I indicated, “I am advised it occurred in the January 2002 appropriation.” This advice was based on the direct advice of my officials at the hearing at the time. In fact, it occurred in the 2002-03 budget and this is the advice that Mr Smyth correctly received when he received his response to his question on notice. For the information of members, I table a copy of that question and the answer supplied.

Mr Smyth has been advised of what has occurred and the facts are unchanged. Currently 15 people have completed the registered nurse program and six have completed the enrolled nurses program for mental health scholarships. Seven people are currently enrolled in the registered nurse program and six in the enrolled nurse program. Mr Smyth is simply wrong when he states that there is no funding for this program. People are studying with the aid of that funding right now.

Mr Smyth’s second claim is that I said the Liberals would establish a forensic mental health facility at the hospital and that they then changed their mind to establish it instead

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