Page 1658 - Week 05 - Tuesday, 1 May 2012
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that that is what other states and territories have done, and it is appropriate here in the ACT for the independent body of the Auditor-General, who has the powers and the skills, to undertake this investigation.
When the Auditor-General looks into the matter, a key question is whether the situation could have been prevented and whether it can be prevented from happening again. It appears as though the bureaucratic process undertaken to ensure data integrity was quite solid, as two separate people checked it off. Again, this was information we were provided with in that briefing. There has to be a level of trust provided to senior management. Again, that is a point that was made. Perhaps the Auditor-General will find that, in the future, the system will not be open for 72 hours after the data has been twice checked, but that is a necessity to cover weekends, so there are reasons why that occurs.
We do have to await the findings from the forensic audit being undertaken by PricewaterhouseCoopers. As I said, I have spoken to the Auditor-General and this is a matter Dr Cooper takes very seriously and is looking at undertaking inquiry of and how the system can be improved.
The Canberra Liberals have proposed using the Inquiries Act to establish a board of inquiry, which would have to be set up by the executive. That is probably a fact they have not thought of before. The Liberals last week were saying the Ombudsman should investigate this matter, referring to what happened in Victoria with crime statistics. But the Ombudsman investigates matters based on complaints, and that was what had occurred in Victoria with the crimes statistics. It is something I have looked into.
I am also quite concerned that the Canberra Liberals seem to be saying the Auditor-General is not independent. Mr Hanson even did this on ABC radio last week. I think that is quite concerning.
Another matter that has been discussed is whether the emergency department was undergoing significant political pressure, and I think that is an issue worth considering. It is true that it has particularly come from the Canberra Liberals and Mr Hanson. As much as we try to move the focus in health to preventative and primary health, which are absolutely crucial and I think a frustration that has been expressed not just by myself but a number of groups around this matter, the focus of the Canberra Liberals and, I have to say, the media has been more specifically on emergency department waiting times. It is easy to report; it is a number, but it actually does not tell you much, as I already said, about patient outcomes. That is really what we should be looking at. It is a much easier, more dramatic story to convey to the public but it does not reflect where the focus is needed if we are to improve health outcomes for the Canberra community.
I will go now to the amendment from Ms Gallagher. The Greens will support the amendment moved by the minister. We will also move an amendment, which I have circulated, to that which makes it clearer that the Assembly is requesting that the Auditor-General undertake a review. I move the amendment circulated in my name:
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