Page 5661 - Week 17 - Thursday, 5 December 1991

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In the past, the Board of Health has let surplus space in buildings that it controls to private health practitioners. Community Health, in particular, has a number of health centres where private tenants are collocated with salaried staff. Due to the reduction in the number of buildings being controlled by Community Health, the number of private tenants has also been reduced. Mr Humphries would remember that he closed down the Weston Creek Health Centre; so that gave us a reduction in space.

No current private tenant has been refused a renewal or extension of lease. Where space becomes available, service delivery departmental staff have priority over the leasing of the space to a new private tenant. That is my answer to Mr Humphries' questions of yesterday and today.

Mr Humphries: That was yesterday's question. What about today's question? You are a day behind.

MR BERRY: No, no. Mr Humphries asks me whether I am aware that certain rooms within certain health buildings were partly empty, or empty for part of a day, or had no people in them for part of a day. No, I am not aware of when people walk out of various rooms around departmental - - -

Mr Humphries: You should have found out.

MR BERRY: He says that I should have found out - in fact, that I should have found out before I got the question. No doubt, he is looking at the most efficient Health Minister this place has ever seen, but predicting the questions is not among my charming attributes.

Shooting Incident

MR COLLAERY: My question is addressed to the Attorney, Mr Connolly. I ask the Attorney whether, given his daily confidential incident reports from the Australian Federal Police, he will confirm or deny that there was a shoot-out in Richardson last night and that that shoot-out included the shooting-out of windows of empty houses. To his knowledge, were the police able to attend the scene within a reasonable period?

MR CONNOLLY: Mr Collaery premises a question on a confidential daily situation report which Attorneys receive from the Federal Police. It is indeed a confidential situation report which Attorneys receive from the Federal Police, and it is most inappropriate for me to answer questions as to what may or may not have been in such a report.

MR COLLAERY: I ask a supplementary question, Mr Speaker. In view of the Attorney's response to my question, I ask him why he revealed from a similar briefing sheet details about the US President's intended itinerary.


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