Page 460 - Week 02 - Wednesday, 13 February 2013

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per cent on time versus Queensland’s 90 per cent, and for 2011-12 the figure for the ACT is 81 per cent versus 90 per cent in Queensland. Obviously the data doctoring had an impact on these statistics, but the fact is we are years behind in trying to catch up on this situation. The ACT is the only jurisdiction to go backwards in 2011-12.

It is not all bad news, however, and I do not want us to be accused of only ever focusing on the bad news. Regarding unplanned admissions and returns, on the two conditions on which data was reported, tonsillectomies are admitted less often than the national average, as in readmitted less often—well done—while appendectomies, however, are readmitted above the national average.

All our beds are 100 per cent accredited, and I think that is what the Chief Minister is going to when she says there is some good news in our system. As to post-procedural separation adverse effects, on average we do better than average with adverse reactions to drugs, medicaments and biological substances, but we do worse than average in procedures creating abnormal reactions and complications. We are just over the national average of issues per 100 patients, which is a negative finding. The national average is 5.9 per 100 patients, whereas ours is six per 100 patients. We are better than several other jurisdictions, however.

It is not our job to actually tell the minister what is going right; it is our job to make sure that what is not being done properly is being addressed, and clearly there is still a lot of work to be done. Last year we were forced to move a motion of no confidence in the Chief Minister, Ms Gallagher, after it was revealed that as ACT health minister she had systematically allowed deception to occur to the ACT public over the declining state of the health system, which had gone from one of Australia’s best under the last Liberal government to one of the worst.

Is it any wonder that the opposition has no confidence now that the emergency performance figures are improving—or are going to improve—particularly when we receive so many complaints that paint a much worse picture? “Routinely dismal” seems to pass for “normal” in the ACT reporting results. At the end of the day, is there any greater failure in this area than the inability to treat our sick, except perhaps to fail and then have misrepresented it? The failures are not good enough and they are not getting fixed. We must get to the bottom of how to improve. It is not the staff’s fault; it is the minister’s fault. Maybe a ministerial transplant is needed.

Question put:

That Mr Rattenbury’s amendment be agreed to.

The Assembly voted—

Question so resolved in the affirmative.

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