Page 288 - Week 01 - Thursday, 27 February 2014

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Ayes 9

Noes 8

Mr Barr

Ms Gallagher

Mr Coe

Ms Lawder

Ms Berry

Mr Gentleman

Mr Doszpot

Mr Smyth

Dr Bourke

Ms Porter

Mrs Dunne

Mr Wall

Ms Burch

Mr Rattenbury

Mr Hanson

Mr Corbell

Mrs Jones

Question so resolved in the affirmative.

Motion, as amended, agreed to.

Sitting suspended from 12.31 to 2.30 pm.

Questions without notice

Health Directorate—half-yearly report

MR HANSON: I have a question for the Minister for Health. Minister, you are required under the Financial Management Act to provide half-yearly reports against measures contained in the budget papers. In the papers released by you in January 2014 nine out of the 37 Health Directorate measures are reported with errors. Some measures, as a consequence, are up to 70 per cent underperforming. On Tuesday you tabled a corrigendum which still does not correct these errors. Minister, why do these figures remain incorrect?

MS GALLAGHER: The targets were set for the first time using the national accounting practices. These new national methods contained formulas and processes to derive those estimates. In addition, activity that is considered in scope for attracting commonwealth funding should be captured. Services that are funded by other revenues, such as through workers compensation, motor accident insurance or Department of Veterans’ Affairs, should not be counted. A range of those out-of-scope services were inadvertently included in deriving the targets. So the targets will come down, and the error between the targets and the result was not identified early in the financial year, as the records take time to complete due to the work involved in correctly coding all activities.

I have met with Health over this matter. I asked that a statement be included on Tuesday to explain the process and the fact that we are still working through some of the revisions that need to be done. A notifiable instrument will be tabled in the next sitting and that will provide the accurate estimates for 2013-14. So I have provided you with as much information as I can at this point. Essentially, it is moving to the new national system through the national health reform processes that has led to these mistakes. As I understand it, there have been a couple of other jurisdictions that have had similar issues in identifying what is in scope and what is out of scope, and including them in targets which need to be removed. These are being worked through with all the relevant national authorities.

MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Mr Hanson.

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