Page 1649 - Week 05 - Tuesday, 1 May 2012
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
that she would welcome this opportunity to remove the stench that now surrounds her. If she does not support a board of inquiry to clear her name—perhaps to remove the stench—is she hiding? What is it she does not want us to know?
We have already found out, probably because of the opposition’s digging, that there is a discrepancy, that there was bodgying of the data. We also know that Katy Gallagher, because of the questions I asked the director-general, has now come out and said, “Yes, there is a conflict of interest.” What are the other questions that we need to ask?
The opposition should not be the one that has to do all the digging. We simply do not have the powers. We do not have the resources, but a board of inquiry would. If Katy Gallagher has nothing to hide then she should welcome this. If she does have something to hide then quite clearly she will not welcome this and so it will be a test.
What we are calling on the government to do is appoint a board of inquiry, to make sure those people are independent, to make sure that this board of inquiry reports by 13 August and to provide that immediately to the Assembly members. The motion lays out the terms of reference. What was falsified? Who was involved? Why was it falsified? What was the process that led to the identification that something had gone so wrong? Has there been any political interference or influence? What is the conflict of interest between Katy Gallagher and a family member? When did they become aware of it? Are the actions taken by the minister and the director-general appropriate? What are the cultural issues here? The minister has been the minister for six years and still we find things going so badly wrong in her Assembly.
Mr Speaker, we need the board of inquiry to uncover these matters. I think it is a black and white case that a minister who has presided over a department directly for six years has led to it having a senior administrator falsify data. This demands this Assembly censure Katy Gallagher. (Time expired.)
MS GALLAGHER (Molonglo—Chief Minister, Minister for Health and Minister for Territory and Municipal Services) (10.25): I begin by acknowledging that some of the statements I have made in relation to the emergency department waiting times may be incorrect. At all times I have provided to the Assembly, and indeed the community, the exact information that has been provided to me, in good faith, by the Health Directorate. I have publicly acknowledged the discrepancies and the fact that some of those statements may be incorrect, and I acknowledge it today in this place. The record will be corrected when the data investigations are complete. However, at this stage, I am unable to correct the record with the corrections that would need to be made.
Mr Smyth interjecting—
MS GALLAGHER: Thank you, Mr Smyth; it is my turn, not yours.
I have been an MLA representing the people of Canberra for just over a decade now. In that time I have met, talked with, listened to, advocated on behalf of and served the interests of thousands upon thousands of individuals and, through them, the broader community. In every capacity in which I have had the privilege to serve, I have acted
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video