Page 5025 - Week 12 - Tuesday, 26 October 2010
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judged on my performance in this place I have done okay, Mr Hanson, and I intend on keeping it that way. I am judged on my performance. I am satisfied with how I perform and indeed with the community’s feedback around my performance. I think the community understands how complex issues of provision of health services are. These are not easy issues and they are compounded by the fact that 30 per cent of our public hospital system is managed by a non-government provider and that we do need to invest significant amounts of capital on the north side of Canberra. I think the community expects me to take the time, do the work and understand all the issues before we take such a significant decision.
The government have been, over the past two years, updating our population projections for our health demands. I have to say that when we started the CADP work back in 2006, we did not predict our population at the time. The population forecasts were under what they have been. So we are updating all our data and there is a real question to be answered around whether or not the city can support three hospitals. We are going through the detail of that work. The government will make a decision about that in due time when all the information is before it.
MR SPEAKER: A supplementary, Mr Hanson?
MR HANSON: Minister, in this view, you stated that a new 400-bed acute hospital is one of the options that you are considering. Minister, what would be the approximate cost of the 400-bed hospital, and would this amount fit within the current plans for CADP?
MS GALLAGHER: When the plan around the CADP was originally identified, we said this plan was in excess of a billion dollars. It is still a plan in excess of a billion dollars. We are doing the final work around the extent of that program, including a longer term projection based on some of the changes under the national health and hospital funding arrangements and, indeed, some of the new service delivery arrangements. So we are doing a very significant piece of work at the moment.
Mr Smyth: So, 1.2, 1.4, 1.6 billion?
MR SPEAKER: Order! Supplementaries will be quiet.
MS GALLAGHER: In terms of the cost of a third hospital, it depends entirely on decisions that we make for Calvary and decisions that we make potentially for a new hospital. I did not say that was what we were pursuing. It is dependent on the decisions you would take around how your hospital system is structured. For example, if you build a bigger hospital on the north side of Canberra, you perhaps do not have to build as much capacity at Canberra Hospital as we have forecast.
They are some of the decisions that are yet to be taken.
Mr Hanson: On a point of order, I ask the minister to be relevant. I have asked for the approximate cost of a 400-bed hospital that she is discussing. And I would ask her to address the question.
MR SPEAKER: Minister, do you have—
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