Page 184 - Week 01 - Wednesday, 10 February 2010
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MR SPEAKER: Mr Smyth, a supplementary?
MR SMYTH: Minister, what you say is true, that it is hard to compare jurisdiction to jurisdiction, but, just looking at the year-on-year results for the ACT for the last four financial years, is it not true that the response time has deteriorated?
MR CORBELL: The figures we see in the ROGS data highlight that we are having to deal with significant demand and significant increase in demand. I am pleased to hear the admission from the opposition that they actually got it wrong in their criticism of the government in terms of the delivery of the services. Here is the admission from Mr Smyth that he should not have made the simplistic assertion that the government has failed in terms of addressing this issue. He knows, and he is now admitting, that you cannot compare the ACT with at least half of the other Australian jurisdictions because of the different ways they measure response times.
We will continue to work to invest in ambulance services. We will continue to work to tackle demand.
Mr Smyth: So has it got worse or not?
MR SPEAKER: Mr Smyth, you have asked your question.
MR CORBELL: There are real challenges in tackling demand, but in the same way that this government is managing demand—
Mr Smyth: Point of order on relevance, Mr Speaker.
MR SPEAKER: Stop the clock, thank you.
Mr Smyth: It is a very specific question. Does the chart show that—just looking at the ACT for the last four years, has the response time deteriorated? It is a very simple question. The minister is not answering it; he dances around it but he dares not answer it.
MR SPEAKER: Minister, the question is clear.
MR CORBELL: In the same way that the government is tackling issues around growth in general health services, whether it is primary health care or whether it is in relation to hospital care—
Mr Smyth: Point of order, Mr Speaker: he cannot ignore your advice. It is not about what the government has done; it is about the times themselves and that the 50th and 90th percentile in the charts shown, comparing just the ACT to the ACT, have deteriorated.
MR SPEAKER: Minister Corbell, a specific answer to the question would be helpful.
MR CORBELL: I am answering the question, Mr Speaker. It is very important that we highlight the fact that these issues are driven by demand. We need to tackle
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