Page 4578 - Week 12 - Thursday, 15 October 2009
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MS GALLAGHER: We have not held the threat of imminent closure over their heads and they are a willing participant by the fact that they have a lease to own and operate a public hospital on that site until 2070. If the conspiracy theorists amongst the Liberal Party think about this seriously, aside from doing all this work and having this public consultation and discussion, there was nothing to have stopped us planning to build a third hospital anyway. The fact is that we are saying that we do not want to build a third hospital; there are other scenarios that we can examine—ultimately, the Assembly has the say in whether or not this goes ahead—and we would like to explore those other alternatives with you, and the Little Company of Mary agreed.
I work very closely with Tom Brennan. There are no threats. There was no pressure. There was nothing other than a genuine request to consider the opportunity for the ACT government to purchase Calvary Public Hospital. There has been no threat around withdrawal of funding. But we have indicated that, if the sale did not proceed, the government would have to examine how we could build the health precinct we need to build in the north of Canberra in a way that the budget could sustain. We have invested millions in the north side facility, in Calvary Public Hospital; I think it is in the order of $43 million in the past six or seven years. That is separate from the annual operating costs which have seen a 60 per cent increase since we came to government.
When we came to government, the operating contract was in the order of $60 million or $70 million. It is now exceeding $115 million a year. This government has invested heavily in Calvary in recognition of the importance of that hospital. We have always acknowledged the excellent care provided by the Little Company of Mary. But guess what? Times change, opportunities arise, the needs of the community change, and this gives us the opportunity—
MR SPEAKER: Order! Ms Gallagher, one moment, please. Stop the clock. Mr Smyth, I have already spoken to the opposition benches today. You have intervened heavily today. I do not want to have to warn you.
MS GALLAGHER: He intervenes heavily every question time, Mr Speaker.
MR SPEAKER: It is more noticeable today, Ms Gallagher.
MS GALLAGHER: It is something I actually get used to and just wipe out the whining interjections from over there.
MR SPEAKER: The question, Ms Gallagher.
MS GALLAGHER: The issue is a genuine conversation about opportunities for health reform here in the ACT. These opportunities do not come very often. They are difficult discussions. They are discussions that I hope the opposition take part in with a genuine open mind—an open-mindedness about whether or not this is the right thing to do. The information is presented there. The community consultation is going on. If this proposal does not proceed, the government will be faced with no choice but to examine the other alternatives, which are the status quo and how we finance the improvements in that building. Of course that would come with no new private hospital, so the new health precinct I do not believe would gather all the opportunities
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