Page 1820 - Week 06 - Wednesday, 4 May 2005
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be considered. But we do not accept that all treatments are sacrosanct and not subject to an objective and clinical, especially clinical, assessment of their effectiveness and value.
Part 3 of the motion states that the Assembly “affirms its commitment to accessible and affordable health services for all ACT residents, including the provision of IVF, at the discretion of the individual, in consultation with their medical practitioner”. The idealist in me would say, “Of course, health should be free and everyone should be able to access it to their heart’s content. La, la, la; let’s go on.” But sadly, apart from Mr Quinlan, we do not live in that la-la land.
I think Ms Porter has to face the cold, hard reality. Maybe she should talk to the health minister, Mr Corbell. Let us run part 3 in the context of the elective surgery waiting list and the figures that were released today that saw it blow out to 5,099 Canberrans. It states that the Assembly affirms—I am sure the Labor Party is voting for this—its commitment to accessible and affordable health services for all ACT residents, which I assume means the people on the elective surgery waiting list, including the provision of IVF, at the discretion of the individual, in consultation with their medical practitioner.
Based on that, if your medical practitioner says that you need elective surgery now, under Ms Porter’s model you should get it now. You need, Ms Porter, to talk to Mr Corbell because there are people, including category 1 patients, who have—five or six of them—missed out this last month on getting critical surgery. So, if we are going to confirm our commitment to accessible and affordable health service for all residents, let us start with the elective surgery waiting list; let us talk to the 5,099 people on that list and see that we get equity for all.
At 6.00 pm, in accordance with standing order 34, the debate was interrupted. The motion for the adjournment of the Assembly was put.
Adjournment
Anniversary of Father Lynch
MR SMYTH (Brindabella—Leader of the Opposition) (6.00): Mr Speaker, at the Holy Trinity Church, Curtin, last evening, then followed by a dinner at the Yamba Southern Cross Club, one Benedict Celcus Lynch, an 84-year-old resident of Australia, celebrated the fact that he had just served this community for 60 years as a Catholic priest. Affectionately known as Father Barney to all that know him, he was born on 11 April 1921 on the family farm “Deerpark” in a town called Doora in County Clare in the west of Ireland. Father Lynch studied for a degree in arts and a diploma of education at the University of Dublin, where he was also a fine hurling player. He was ordained a priest in Dublin on 24 June 1945 at All Hallows Seminary. He is actually about to return to Ireland for the 60th anniversary gathering of his classmates to celebrate the ordination of their priesthood.
Father Lynch’s parents were Michael and Ellen Lynch (nee Cahill). There were four children, three boys and a girl. The oldest, Kevin, came to Australia and tragically died in 1943 in the campaigns in Papua New Guinea. The daughter was to become Sister Eugene Lynch. She remained in Ireland. His older brother, Paddy, Father Paddy, became the parish priest of Doonbeg on the west coast. As you can see, it was a family of extraordinary commitment.
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