Page 1886 - Week 07 - Tuesday, 2 June 2015
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Leave granted to dispense with the detail stage.
Bill agreed to.
Sitting suspended from 10.53 am to 2.30 pm.
Questions without notice
Health—funding
MR HANSON: My question is to the Minister for Health. Minister, the government’s proposed light rail is estimated to have a capital cost of about $800 million. Minister, how many new hospital beds could be built with $800 million?
MR CORBELL: Quite a few, but that is why this government has invested almost $900 million already in health infrastructure since 2009. Our record is very clear: over $900 million worth of expenditure, not including the University of Canberra public hospital, to increase bed capacity in our public health system.
Mr Hanson: Madam Speaker—
MADAM SPEAKER: Do you have a point of order, Mr Hanson?
Mr Hanson: I do have a point of order, Madam Speaker. I am sure the minister is getting to it, but it is a point of order on relevance. I have asked how many hospital beds could be built with $800 million, and I ask the minister to answer that question directly.
MR CORBELL: On the point of order, Madam Speaker, I have actually answered that and I am now elaborating on my answer.
MADAM SPEAKER: The standing order says that the answer should be concise and directly relevant to the subject matter of the question. I suppose “quite a few” is concise.
Mr Hanson: There is no point of order for “not a very good answer”, is there?
MADAM SPEAKER: No, and there is nothing in the standing orders that says that it has to be an answer that suits you, Mr Hanson.
MR CORBELL: Indeed; thank you, Madam Speaker. Of course, it does not suit Mr Hanson because this government has invested over $900 million in health infrastructure works since 2009. It is why the Chief Minister and I have been very pleased to announce additional commitments in health that provide for an extra 16 beds, and then two intensive care beds in the budget that the Treasurer will hand down this afternoon.
These are our priorities and these are our commitments. Of course, they stand in marked contrast to the priorities and commitments of the Liberal Party, a party that has reduced health funding to the territory by over $228 million, according to the
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