Page 2271 - Week 06 - Wednesday, 23 June 2010
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Mr Hanson: You’ve never been in opposition; you don’t understand.
MS GALLAGHER: And I do not ever intend to be in opposition.
Mr Hanson: Are you resigning before the next election?
MS GALLAGHER: If you continue to behave the way you are behaving at the moment, I have got a pretty good chance of never being in opposition. But this is the way details get worked through. Nothing is finally signed off until those final details are in place. But I hope that out of this—I genuinely hope—we have a nationally coordinated health system right across the country where we have our major government as a major player in the funding of that health system in terms of public hospitals. That has not been the case in the past. That is what needs to be welcomed out of this agreement.
MR SPEAKER: A supplementary, Mr Hargreaves?
MR HARGREAVES: Thanks very much, Mr Speaker. In the context of the conversations with the commonwealth, can the minister outline what the impact will be on the ACT as a cross-border regional trauma hospital?
MS GALLAGHER: I thank Mr Hargreaves for the question. We are certainly hoping down the track that we will be able to have a regional local hospital network that will encompass hospitals such as Queanbeyan, Cooma and Yass and maybe down the south coast. We know that that is where a lot of the work that comes to the Canberra Hospital comes from. It makes sense to have a cluster of hospitals, smaller district hospitals, with a regional tertiary referral hospital. In the first instance we have said no to forming our local hospital network along those lines. That really is because we do not want to delay our local hospital network. The details of having a regional local hospital network are quite complex.
Mr Hanson: Take your time.
MS GALLAGHER: Again, I hear Mr Hanson scoffing. I simply put that down to the fact that he does not understand because he has never actually had to do anything difficult in his life or understand difficult concepts. For example, a nurse in Queanbeyan—
Members interjecting—
MR SPEAKER: Order, members!
MS GALLAGHER: There goes that glass jaw again. I get it every time. For example, some of the difficulties presented are around the practical application of jurisdictional boundaries.
Mr Coe interjecting—
MR SPEAKER: Mr Coe!
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