Page 3865 - Week 09 - Wednesday, 25 August 2010
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can build on our relationships, particularly with our embassies as well as our sister cities to explore the opportunities to support further bilingual schools. I thank the minister for the undertaking to investigate the expansion of the number of such schools in the ACT, should they be warranted. I ask members to support this motion.
Motion agreed to.
Debate interrupted in accordance with standing order 74 and the resumption of the debate made an order of the day for a later hour.
Sitting suspended from 12.21 to 2 pm.
Questions without notice
Calvary Public Hospital—proposed purchase
MR SESELJA: My question is to the Minister for Health. Minister, on 23 June you were asked about delaying a Calvary deal until the “planned capital element of the national health reform is resolved and made clear to the community”. You stated in your answer:
We are trying to make sure that we can finalise any outcome with Calvary as soon as possible.
You added:
There is not any reason to delay it around the capital component.
In response to a question last week, you advised that you had received advice from PricewaterhouseCoopers that the government no longer needed to purchase Calvary Hospital in May. Why didn’t you refer to this advice in your answer on 23 June?
MS GALLAGHER: I think because the question was around the national health reforms and not around any advice that the government had received around progressing the negotiations. In the question, as I understand it—and I will check the Hansard—I was asked about whether the national health reforms should or could impact on finalising negotiations around Calvary. My view is—and is still—that they would not. There is a range of other factors that would impact on finalising the negotiations with Calvary, but the national health reform is not one of them.
MR SPEAKER: Ms Seselja, a supplementary question?
MR SESELJA: Thank you, Mr Speaker. Minister, why did you mislead the Canberra community by not telling them and this Assembly about the PricewaterhouseCoopers advice back in June in your response to the question?
MS GALLAGHER: During that time the government were re-testing the advice, at the request of Little Company of Mary Health Care, who still until this day disagree with the advice that the government had received. We had received the advice. I had spoken with Little Company of Mary around that advice. Indeed, I think we had had a
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