Page 3348 - Week 11 - Wednesday, 14 November 2007

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It was not actually an inquiry into the specific cause of death. Mr Osterberg’s case may well have been the catalyst for this inquiry, but it is only one thing. It is an inquiry into systemic issues: service quality, service monitoring and accountability and probably a few more things as well. At the end of the day if you have an inquiry—clearly you are not going to—you might find out a few things that will help both you in government and any future ACT governments to address the problems in our system, as well as some of the potential problems. But you will just sweep it under the carpet and be absolutely hypocritical in terms of changing your position on this because it suits you or you think it suits you. When you were in opposition, it was full speed ahead.

This inquiry would get to the bottom of a number of problems. What do you have to hide? Maybe you are hiding something, or are you just frightened of being accountable? You do not do yourselves any favours by knocking this on the head. The problems are not going to go away. The complaints are not going to go away. The people seeing the opposition and the people dealing with the system—the nurses, the doctors, the consumers and the patients—are not going to go away. I am not surprised, but I think it is a tragedy for our system that you are knocking this back.

Question put:

That Mr Stefaniak’s motion be agreed to.

The Assembly voted—

Ayes 6

Noes 9

Mrs Burke

Mr Stefaniak

Mr Barr

Mr Gentleman

Mrs Dunne

Mr Berry

Mr Hargreaves

Mr Mulcahy

Mr Corbell

Ms MacDonald

Mr Pratt

Dr Foskey

Mr Stanhope

Mr Seselja

Ms Gallagher

Question so resolved in the negative.

Sitting suspended from 12.28 to 2.30 pm.

Questions without notice

Legislative Assembly library

MR STEFANIAK: My question is directed to you, Mr Speaker. I understand that in April 2007 you were advised that a review was to be conducted into the operations of the Legislative Assembly’s library. I am now aware that you have expressed some very serious concern about the decision made to declare as excess the position of head librarian. Your concern relates in part to the significant staffing decision having been made before the review has been completed.

My question is: were you consulted on the elimination of the position of head librarian in the Assembly’s library? What action are you taking to ensure that the

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