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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2004 Week 08 Hansard (Thursday, 5 August 2004) . . Page.. 3519 ..

MR WOOD: Yes, I can go back to the figures I gave Mr Smyth before of extreme times some years ago. So much for the claim that ambulances are being used as hospital beds. It is well known, and we make it clear, that occasionally hospitals and ambulance services experience peaks of activity. These are not as common in the ACT when compared with the difficulties experienced elsewhere. When these peak periods happen, ACT hospitals and the Ambulance Service work to ensure that patients are managed effectively. At 23 minutes, our average ambulance turnaround times at hospitals are comparable with the rest of Australia. On top of that, Productivity Commission figures show that the Ambulance Service has the best overall response times to an emergency in the country. So, the service is working pretty well. Once again, this is excessive exaggeration, this hyperbole from the Leader of the Opposition, and he is only damaging his own credibility.

Mr Stanhope: I ask that further questions be placed on the notice paper.

Papers

Mr Stanhope presented the following paper:

ACT Criminal Justice Statistical Profile—March 2004 quarter.

Mr Quinlan presented the following paper:

Government Procurement Act, pursuant to section 8 (3)—New Procurement Principle—Direction to Government Procurement Board, dated 2 August 2004.

Ms Gallagher presented the following paper:

Occupational Health and Safety Act, pursuant to section 96D—Operation of the Occupational Health and Safety Act 1989 and its associated law—Quarterly report June quarter 2004.

Live music—value to the community

Ministerial statement

MR WOOD (Minister for Disability, Housing and Community Services, Minister for Urban Services, Minister for Police and Emergency Services, Minister for Arts and Heritage, and Acting Minister for Health): I ask for the leave of the Assembly to make a ministerial statement concerning the government’s response to the resolution of the Assembly of 13 May 2004 relating to the value to the community of live music.

Leave granted.

MR WOOD: I am pleased that the Assembly has recognised the important contribution that contemporary live music makes to our city. There are opportunities for the government and others to make a positive contribution to the sustainability of that sector. Members will recall that Ms Tucker moved this motion. At the moment she is not with us in the chamber as she is obviously quite ill, but I have supplied her with a copy of the

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