Page 2099 - Week 06 - Tuesday, 21 June 2011
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MR SPEAKER: Yes, Mr Hanson.
MR HANSON: Minister, is it not true that you deliberately set up the review into bullying under the Public Interest Disclosure Act so that it would not come to light?
MS GALLAGHER: It was not my decision.
Members interjecting—
MR SPEAKER: Order, members! Mr Hanson and Mr Seselja!
MS GALLAGHER: In accordance with the operations of that law, Mr Speaker, it was not my decision to conduct it under the Public Interest Disclosure Act.
Members interjecting—
MS GALLAGHER: Good luck to you and your conspiracy theories, Mr Hanson. Good luck to you. The information that is available to me that could be made public in relation to this matter has been made public and is available for all to see.
Health—services
MR COE: My question is to the Minister for Health. On 30 March this year, the Assembly called for you, as health minister, “to provide a more accurate and honest summation of public health services”. The motion was drafted in response to media statements issued by you that ignored key indicators about the state of the ACT health system, your secret negotiations about Calvary hospital and revelations that patients were being shifted out of category 1 without clinical cause. Minister, how can we trust that the new reporting measures you promised will provide a more accurate picture of the state of the whole health system?
MS GALLAGHER: It is important to note that the government did not agree with or support the motion of this place in relation to a view that other members had that they should direct what information goes into other members’ media statements.
Mr Hanson: It was put in to be honest, Katy.
MS GALLAGHER: It is not something we seek to impose on you, Mr Hanson, or the Greens, for that matter. And there have been some outrageous examples of media releases from both the Liberals and the Greens that the Labor Party has not agreed with.
In terms of the measures that I will announce about improving access to information for members of the community around government decision making and trying to look at new ways of being transparent and open with the community, building on our impressive record, I do not seek to dissuade those opposite that it is the right thing to do. I do not expect to gain your approval, but it is not your approval that I am after. I am keen to make sure that the community understands that, as Chief Minister, I am
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