Page 2598 - Week 07 - Tuesday, 5 June 2012
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MR SESELJA: Minister, given the large number of presentations to the emergency department in the first quarter of this year, are you still confident that we will meet federally set targets for reward funding?
MS GALLAGHER: As I said, the staff in the emergency departments that are in the hospital are working, in excess of reasonable workloads I would say, to try and manage the patient flow into the hospital, and that is the priority for this government: to manage the patients so that they are able to be seen. I have no advice before me at this point in time—but I would put a caveat on that, in that there are a number of audits underway into emergency department timeliness—that would indicate that we would be unable to meet that target in December.
I would like to take the opportunity to acknowledge the effort of staff—unlike the Liberal Party, who think we have the worst health system in the country; I think I saw that flash up on TV last night. We reject that entirely.
Opposition members interjecting—
MS GALLAGHER: We do not have the worst public health system in the country. You over there might think it. You can talk that all the way to October, that we have got the worst public health system—and we will stand by the people who work 24 hours a day, seven days a week—
Opposition members interjecting—
MS GALLAGHER: when you are tucked up in bed grinning at the thought of the little attack ads that you will run during the campaign—
Opposition members interjecting—
MR SPEAKER: Thank you, members. Order!
MS GALLAGHER: excited beyond belief at the bad news—
Opposition members interjecting—
MR SPEAKER: Order, members! Ms Gallagher, the question, thank you.
MS GALLAGHER: that might come to the health system. But the Labor government will stand by the public health system.
Mr Hanson interjecting—
MR SPEAKER: Mr Hanson, thank you.
MS GALLAGHER: It is an excellent health system. It is under pressure. It is being transformed into a modern health service. There is work still to be done, but we on this side of the chamber in no way accept the propaganda being run by the Liberal Party that we have the worst health system in the country.
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