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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2004 Week 10 Hansard (Wednesday, 25 August 2004) . . Page.. 4174 ..

MR CORBELL (Minister for Health and Minister for Planning) (4.55): It is a good opportunity to rebut the quite paltry and glib assertions made by those members opposite on this motion today. The reality is that this government has been delivering significantly in a broad range of areas that affect the Canberra community.

As my colleague, Mr Wood, has already indicated, there have been very significant reforms in emergency services and in housing. Indeed, it is not the shameful record of those opposite that removed 700 dwellings from the ACT housing list.

This government has a strong record. I will address the key issues under my portfolio responsibility. I start with the health system. Let me provide some figures to the Assembly to refute the arguments of those opposite. In 2003-4 under Labor, our hospital system provided more than 70,000 inpatient episodes—that is the highest number on record. It managed an 11 per cent increase in the number of outpatient occasions of service—again, the highest number on record. It provided almost 1,000 more elective surgery operations—an increase of 13 per cent on the previous year, and yet again the highest number of elective surgery operations in a year on record. It oversaw an increase of 22 per cent in the most serious types of emergency department presentations.

The government recognises that major issues face our health system. The significant increase and demand for services has placed additional pressure on services and there is significant competition within Australia and around the world for qualified health professionals in a number of areas. The huge increase in demand for services has added significant pressure to the system. Despite all of this, the health system has managed an overall increase of 8 per cent in activity.

We have a strong track record ensuring that no-one in need of an urgent elective surgery is made to wait too long. No-one is turned away from our emergency departments. Elective surgery initiatives announced over the last two ACT Labor budgets will provide almost $20 million in additional elective procedures over the next four years. That represents 4,000 more operations than would have been available with the projected health budget of the previous government—4,000 more operations.

Mr Smyth: What about cross-weighted separations. Go to the standard measure.

MR CORBELL: Mr Smyth has had his turn in this debate. He has an obligation to do me the courtesy of hearing the rebuttal to his crass and false accusations in this place.

The government, in consultation with our hospital clinicians, is initiating a range of short and longer term initiatives to relieve the situation in the ward, in the emergency department and in the operating theatre, and in terms of community perspectives.

The chief ward based initiative will be the reintroduction of a discharge lounge. People who are about to be discharged and are waiting for their final consultation or final prescription can be moved out of a bed to a discharge lounge, freeing up a bed sooner for another patient.

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