Page 1915 - Week 07 - Thursday, 20 August 1992
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City Health Centre - Pathology Services
MR BERRY: Madam Speaker, recently Mrs Carnell asked a question in relation to pathology services at the City Health Centre. She asked whether it was true that the pathology services at the health centre will close "from tomorrow". That is the term she used. The answer to that is no. This is another example of the Liberals trying to beat up emotions about issues relating to services within the ACT. They always engage the mouth before they put the brain into gear, and we end up with this sort of emotive beat-up of issues concerning health. It is all very damaging to the public hospital system and the public health system. But they do not care; we know that.
The blood collecting sister employed by Pathology from 7.30 to 11.30 at the City Health Centre was redeployed on 17 August. Although the pathology nurse will no longer be available at the City Health Centre, two nurse practitioners are on site and are able to take blood, if required, for patients unable to travel to other locations. Pathology will continue to provide a courier service to the City Health Centre for the pick-up of specimens and the delivery of reports. The number of patients requiring blood collection has declined to a daily average of 20 blood collections. The majority of this work originates from the Commonwealth medical officers and will further diminish with their relocation, scheduled during August. Pathology will continue to provide QE2 with a service that picks up specimens already collected as required, and services to the elderly will be accommodated within these arrangements.
TREASURER'S QUARTERLY FINANCIAL STATEMENT
Paper
MS FOLLETT (Chief Minister and Treasurer): Madam Speaker, for the information of members, I present the Treasurer's quarterly financial statement for the period 1 April to 30 June 1992, and I move:
That the Assembly takes note of the paper.
Madam Speaker, the Audit Act 1989 requires the Treasurer to publish a statement of the financial transactions of the Territory public account as soon as practical after each quarter. The statement is published in a Special Gazette and I have agreed recently - as members could not find the Gazette - that it also be tabled in the Assembly.
The statement I have presented is for the last quarter of the 1991-92 financial year and it includes the results of transactions for the year. As I announced on Tuesday, 11 August, the Consolidated Fund result for the year is a recurrent budget surplus of $6.7m and an improvement of $5.6m on the capital budget. The details of the statement show that the improved outcomes arose primarily from higher than expected levels of receipts into the Consolidated Fund. Taxation revenue was $17.2m above the budget estimate and recurrent specific purpose payments from the Commonwealth were $5.3m above the budget estimates. Madam Speaker, revenue increases were offset by a $7.1m reduction in the Commonwealth general revenue grant, on the basis of a lower than forecast
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