Page 2929 - Week 10 - Tuesday, 16 October 2007
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government committed to provide 20 additional acute care beds at a cost of $3 million a year—that is, $150,000 per bed. Chief Minister, how can you reconcile the cost of an additional 100 acute care beds in your latest budget at $150,000 per year per bed against your claim of $540,000 for each of the additional acute care beds committed to by the Liberal Party?
MR STANHOPE: I welcome the question on hospital beds—following, of course, the gaffe and the embarrassment that the Liberal Party now feels. I do find it remarkable, in the context of the tragic incident at the Canberra Hospital, that the Liberal Party’s response was to come out and immediately demand an additional 100 acute care beds, mindless of the fact—with no sense of self-awareness—that this was almost exactly the same number of beds which, in government, it cut.
It is remarkable, isn’t it? The sheer effrontery of the Liberal Party in this place standing up and demanding of me and my government that we institute immediately another 100 acute care beds in our public hospital system, following their period in government—a government in which Mr Stefaniak and Mr Smyth starred—during which they cut 114 beds! They stand up in this place with no sense of self-awareness or consciousness and demand of me and my government that we undo the damage that they did in government.
Mr Smyth: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker.
MR SPEAKER: Chief Minister, resume your seat.
Mr Smyth: Under standing order 118 (b), the minister cannot debate the subject. I asked a question on the cost of various beds and the minister’s interpretation of that cost.
MR SPEAKER: You did refer to the debate this morning, too, Mr Smyth. I think you asked for it a bit. But come to the subject; come to the issue.
MR STANHOPE: I will come to the issue. As we debate these matters, as we did this morning, we are reminded of the hypocrisy and the effrontery of the Liberal Party in this place coming in here, thumping the table and demanding that we proceed to undo the damage which they did in government. Kate Carnell and Michael Moore, the two Liberal Party ministers for health, cut 114 beds in their period in government. They cut 114 beds in government. Those opposite come in here and demand of us that we seek to undo, to redress, the damage—the mischief—which they caused. We have done it. We have done it and exceeded it. We have reinstated those 114 closed beds.
Mr Pratt: You can’t answer the costings question, can you?
MR STANHOPE: We have reinstated the 114 closed beds.
Mrs Burke: What about the cost?
MR SPEAKER: Order! Come to the subject matter of the question.
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