Page 129 - Week 01 - Wednesday, 16 February 2011
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
I would like just briefly to address each of the clauses that Mr Hanson has listed. With regard to clause 2, I believe I have already addressed this. I have also responded to clause 3. In response to clause 4 about the MyHospitals website, it must be acknowledged there is criticism of and support for this website. In fact, the AMA’s national body were critical of it. Needless to say, there are a variety of views on this.
With regard to clause 6, the GP shortages, this is something which is impacted by federal policy, greatly impacted by it, and that has to be acknowledged. With regard to clause 7, we support public health facilities being in public hands. With regard to clause 9, we do agree there have been problems of communication. However, a public apology was made by the health minister in the case of the swine flu. And in the case of TB, the person actually was not aware that they had TB. That needs to be acknowledged.
With regard to clause 10, recently the health committee went to TCH and we were actually informed—that included Mr Doszpot, Ms Porter and I—that the car park was ahead of schedule. There have been some delays with the women’s hospital. That has been because they wanted to get the birth unit right, and that is what we have been informed by constituents as well. So we do support getting that right.
With regard to the bush healing farm, it is interesting that the Liberals have included this because they pursued a particular, I would say, dog-whistle style of questioning in estimates which suggested they did not believe that it should be located where it is. So I think that needs to be taken into account.
I am becoming quite dismayed by the way in which issues are being portrayed. Voices to the contrary are being drowned out, as are opinions, by particular views. And I think the main people who suffer in this are consumers.
We need to remember that the health system is not just about waiting lists; it is not just about emergency department times. In fact, a number of organisations have criticised these key reporting figures. It is about much more. It is about a whole lot of other services and the continued focus of Mr Hanson removes this.
MR STANHOPE (Ginninderra—Chief Minister, Minister for Transport, Minister for Territory and Municipal Services, Minister for Business and Economic Development, Minister for Land and Property Services, Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs and Minister for the Arts and Heritage) (10.51): As Ms Gallagher has indicated, the government will not be supporting this motion. The motion really is completely confected, utterly confected. I must admit that the opposition’s approach to issues around health has now been reduced to a censure motion every sitting week—a censure motion against the minister in almost every sitting week. I do not know how many censure motions there have been now, but certainly there was an attempt at a censure motion in the last sitting week, there is one now and there was one a few weeks before that. It has now been reduced to the absurd.
Every time the Liberals walk into this place, in every sitting week, they give notice of a censure motion against the Minister for Health. It is derisory. At one level it reflects
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video