Page 585 - Week 02 - Wednesday, 24 February 2010
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She did not understand the processes; she did not understand that this was not a simple sign-off by the LCM Health Care board or LCM Australia. She did not understand the processes. If she cared to take advice from anyone who had a little more understanding than her, she would have understood that this was a difficult process and it was bound to be protracted.
She actually received that advice, I understand, from the archbishop, but she did not like to hear it. Since this process has fallen over she has spent a lot of time attempting—well, not attempting; she has been playing the sectarian card here and trying to blame the church authorities for putting the kibosh on her plans for our hospital. We have to remember, Mr Speaker, that the Calvary Public Hospital is simply that: it is a public hospital. It provides services to the people of essentially Belconnen and north Canberra and it is well loved. The work done by the Little Company of Mary at Calvary hospital is appreciated by the people of the ACT.
The people of the ACT, generally speaking, have been scratching their heads wondering why this minister wanted to spend $77 million of cold, hard cash to take ownership of something which, by her own admission, would change nothing. He admits that it would change nothing. People are scratching their heads asking why we are spending this money. (Time expired.)
MR SESELJA (Molonglo—Leader of the Opposition) (12.06): I take up the matter from where Mrs Dunne left off. I would just like to add a few words. This is essentially a lead-with-your-chin sort of motion from Ms Porter. It is taking the monumental failure that has been Katy Gallagher’s handling of this issue and putting it in the spotlight. It is putting it back up in the spotlight and highlighting again, for everyone to see, the failure that this process has been. It has been a significant policy failure by Katy Gallagher.
She has presided over a debacle which has set back by many, many months any real progress on this issue by pursuing something that apparently was never going to fly. Apparently, she had no plan to actually get it done, no ability to actually make this deal happen. Having failed to do that, we will go to the process. I think the process that Katy Gallagher went through on this is worth reflecting on. But having failed, she blamed everyone else. Everyone else is to blame; not her. It has got nothing to do with this government or this minister; it is everyone else’s fault. Who is on the list to blame? Well, there is any number.
Mr Hanson: Me first.
MR SESELJA: I will get to you, Mr Hanson. In no particular order, there is the church, the archbishop in particular, no doubt the Pope. There is the Palliative Care Society. There are pesky people like Tony Harris and Sinclair Davidson and others who opposed it in one form or another. To a degree, I think the Greens are to blame; there is no doubt about it in the minister’s opinion. Of course, the Liberals; there is no doubt that we are to blame for everything, if you were to listen to this minister.
Of course, this is despite the fact that we have had Tom Brennan writing that it was not because of concerns in opposition raised in this place. It was because they could
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