Page 2736 - Week 07 - Wednesday, 6 June 2012
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
On emergency departments, we have identified serious problems that have been exposed to the public. We have not only litigated the case against this government on performance, where we have seen ourselves swept from being the best in the country to being the worst in the country, but also litigated the case about a senior health administrator who was doctoring the figures, and called for a proper review.
With elective surgery, we have held this government to account. We have seen negligence from the minister, who has said on many occasions that waiting times in the emergency department and elective surgery are just one measure of reporting outcomes for a health system. But if you are a patient waiting for elective surgery and you are waiting longer than anyone else in the nation, you want to know that your minister is out there fighting for you. When you hear, “They are just one measure, just a number,” you realise that is the sort of reason that people in our community are sick to death—literally sick to death—of this government.
In 2010 we also saw the very disturbing case of doctors who came forward with allegations of bullying. Thirteen doctors resigned. They said that they were being bullied. The health minister came out and initially denied that. Then, when it became evident that that position was untenable, she attacked the doctors and she threatened, with the Chief Minister at the time, to trawl through 10 years of health records. Then the report came back—the clinical review, because we never got to see the bullying review. She said we would see it, but of course we knew at the time that it was part of the cover-up of the way she operates—a deny-and-attack cover-up, where the final stage that she gets to is to blame the department. What we saw was a minister who refused to tell this place what was going on in the hospital, who attacked the doctors and covered it up.
We are coming up to an election, Mr Speaker. The people of the ACT will ask the question: can we trust this minister? This time, when she stands up in front of the community and says, “Trust me; all my plans are on the table,” I think it is fair to say that the community will be a bit sceptical. As I have said in my opening remarks, this is a minister who signed a heads of agreement with the Little Company of Mary—
Ms Gallagher: Point of order, Mr Speaker.
MR HANSON: Can you stop the clocks, please?
MR SPEAKER: Yes. The clock, thank you.
Ms Gallagher: Just previously, about a minute ago, Mr Hanson alleged that I covered up a report into health. It is clearly an imputation against me. There is no evidence to support that.
Members interjecting—
Ms Gallagher: The report was made under public interest disclosure legislation. I have not seen the report, Mr Speaker. It is incorrect to allege that I covered up and refused to release the report.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video