Page 2656 - Week 09 - Wednesday, 7 August 2013

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sides are saying and seeing that a full performance audit that is being proposed has not got bipartisan support because there is a motion saying, “Let us do one. Let us request that the Auditor-General do one,” and what the Auditor-General would be seeing is that there are nine people in this chamber that do not want her to do it. It is disappointing that they are not supporting the motion that calls on her to do it.

In the Chief Minister’s speech, she provided some statistics and evidence trying to suggest that there is different evidence to what is provided in the report. But what I would say is that the last time we had a debate about ED statistics the Chief Minister presented ED statistics which were improving. And I think we know why that was. We have to question whether Katy Gallagher is going out there and saying, “I have a strategy. I have a plan. I am going to put walk-in centres at the Canberra Hospital.” Contrary to all the evidence, Katy Gallagher was saying, “I am going to improve EDs, the waiting times,” and the opposite occurred.

How much pressure did that put on Kate Jackson to then fabricate the results? Did all of this play into the fact that Kate Jackson knew the minister said she had the plan to improve it? Kate Jackson would have read that review, would have read the strategic plan for the emergency department and would have known, because she certainly would have been someone who had access to this, that what the minister was saying was directly contrary to what the department was saying and what the strategy was. How much pressure did that then put on Kate Jackson to try to support the minister to make the numbers look like what the minister wanted? And that is probably a question we will never get the answer to.

I am disappointed we have not got the support for this—

Ms Gallagher: Again.

MR HANSON: because what we are going to see, again, is people in the ACT waiting longer than they should for treatment in our emergency departments. And what we are going to never know is whether the advice provided on the paediatric stream said do it or do not do it so that we can make an objective decision about whether that is going to help or whether that is going to hinder.

Question put:

That the amendment be agreed to.

The Assembly voted—

Question so resolved in the affirmative.

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