Page 2951 - Week 10 - Tuesday, 16 October 2007
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understand what the concerns are in the front line of our health administration in order that they become acquainted with and understand the problems.
Thirty-one years ago I was involved in writing Liberal Party health policy in Hobart and I was asked by the Leader of the Opposition of the day, for whom I worked and who asked me to write his policy work, to prepare various papers. The first thing I did was go out and talk to those in the health system. I talked to the specialists. I sat down with them. We had a cup of tea and had a roundtable. I spoke to individuals. I spoke to practitioners, those involved in nursing and the like. It is often by talking to those sorts of people that are actually dealing with this on a day-to-day basis rather than relying on detached academic assessment that one knows what goes wrong in the health system.
Since this latest eruption I have had calls, some of which I have not had time to return but I hope to brief my colleague Mrs Burke on them when I get to them, from specialist medical people in the ACT health system who have got other issues to raise with me that are troubling them—troubling them enough to ring their local member of the Assembly. That is something that a lot of people would be hesitant to do but would only do so when they believe they have a serious matter warranting consideration. I believe the administration of health in this territory is a matter that requires a very high level of consideration and I believe it is an area in which there is a strong depth of public concern.
I would contend that, throughout their term in government, one Labor health minister after another has failed to address issues of concern and that as a result the people of Canberra have suffered. One would only need to look at the work that went into the public accounts elective waiting list study to see how complex and how many issues there are that are sitting before us as we try to tackle these issues. I am not suggesting they are simple. I am not suggesting that you would wander out one afternoon and fix the whole problems of public health. I understand costs are going up at about 11 per cent on an annual basis.
I come from a family in which one of my brothers is a medical specialist, and he has told me there is no amount of money you can put into the health system—there is an endless supply line you can pour into it—because he said we can save more people’s lives if you put more money into it. But given the fact that governments have capacity issues in terms of what they can allocate to health, then the challenge for government is to make sure that those health funds are administered correctly, that the administration of the agencies that are overseeing the distribution of expenditure of those funds is done at the absolutely optimal levels in order that you get the best possible health outcomes that are achievable from the funds that are available. I do not believe that the ACT government has been able to demonstrate that, certainly in the time that I have been in this place.
It is distressing to hear tales of woe from residents and constituents. No-one wants to hear of residents who have suffered due to inefficiencies within the hospital system. I genuinely tell you that I become very disturbed when people tell me these horror stories out of the hospital. It does not cause me pleasure. I do not say, “This is good; this is another one we can run against the Stanhope government.” I become distressed and concerned about those people.
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