Page 1933 - Week 07 - Thursday, 31 May 1990
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Mr Berry: But you can fit in only so many people.
MR HUMPHRIES: I am sorry that Mr Berry seems to want to display his ignorance about health services. There will be two major accessible casualty sections available in Canberra, Mr Berry.
Mr Berry: How much bigger will they be?
MR HUMPHRIES: They will be the same size. They will be providing the same sorts of services to the people of Canberra. The size is now important. Apparently, if it is not the same size, we are getting short-changed or something.
Mr Berry: Well, how many beds can you put in there? That is what it amounts to.
MR HUMPHRIES: There are not any beds in a casualty section, Mr Berry. You only have holding beds while people move off to some other part of the hospital.
Mr Berry: Have you ever lain on one? I have been in it.
MR HUMPHRIES: Mr Speaker, the ignorance displayed by this former Health Minister is absolutely appalling. As far as Tuggeranong residents are concerned, the casualty section for their area clearly will improve. The local service will now be a major trauma centre. Mr Berry has been caught out trying to frighten the people of Canberra once again. I have to say that it does really denigrate the democratic process when oppositions go beyond their normal task of keeping the government on the straight and narrow and simply say things designed to alarm, confuse and strike fear in the hearts of people in the ACT community. There is no role for that in this community or in this Assembly, and I urge the Opposition to repudiate Mr Berry and keep him in line.
School Consolidations
MR MOORE: My question is also to Mr Humphries as Minister for Education. On ABC radio this morning during the 10.00 am news, Dr Kinloch apparently raised himself from his sick bed and said.
I am in there to make sure that we do not close schools merely for the sake of raising money. I think the only school that could possibly be closed is if there was an educational reason for doing so. Now I have yet to be convinced that there are educational reasons. I believe in the next two months or so the community should make its views known very forcefully and a consultative committee will be there to hear those views, and I
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