Page 2437 - Week 07 - Wednesday, 17 June 2009

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As I have said before, there may be good reasons and the Labor Party may be able to convince the Liberal opposition—the Greens seem already to be convinced—and the community that this is the right way to go. But without the information that this amendment calls for the people of the ACT will be left in the dark. Representing my electorate where Calvary hospital is situated—I have a very close relationship with Calvary hospital and have over a very large number of years—I want to see full disclosure and complete openness so that the people of the ACT know that they are getting a good health system and they are getting value for money. I seek leave to move an amendment to Ms Bresnan’s amendment.

MADAM DEPUTY SPEAKER: You do not need leave, Mrs Dunne.

MRS DUNNE: I move the following amendment to Ms Bresnan’s proposed amendment:

Omit paragraph (2), substitute:

“(2) calls on the Government to:

(a) develop a comprehensive business case outlining the long term costs and benefits of such a transaction;

(b) provide an alternative course of action should the purchase-sale not proceed;

(d) provide the business case, alternate course of action and results of community consultation to the Assembly; and

(e) present an appropriation bill to the Assembly concerning the decision to purchase-sell Calvary and CHH.”.

MR SESELJA (Molonglo—Leader of the Opposition) (11.42): Firstly, I think that this motion as originally presented by Mr Hanson is an excellent one and I am not quite sure what the crossbench problem is on this. I do not think there is anything that is not a statement of fact in the preamble. And what it calls for is full disclosure. That is what we are calling on here from the government—full disclosure before they go ahead and make this decision. We did not get it before the election. In fact, we were misled again by this minister when she claimed that all of the plans for health were on the table when she was, indeed, conducting secret negotiations and already had a plan to go ahead and purchase Calvary hospital.

That is not open and honest, and it is reasonable that we, as an Assembly, given that record, look very sceptically at this process going forward. We should look very sceptically at this minister’s performance and make sure that she is forced to be open and accountable on this process. She chose not to share this information with the community prior to the election. She chose deliberately to withhold it and, indeed, then misled the community by claiming that in fact she put all her plans on the table, which clearly was not the case.

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