Page 3306 - Week 11 - Tuesday, 12 October 1993
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Madam Speaker, the amendments to the self-government Act initially were to be made before the last Federal election, but in fact they were delayed by the Federal election and have recently been back into Federal Parliament. It is, I think, very surprising, Madam Speaker, that Senator Macdonald, the so-called opposition spokesperson on the ACT, has not sought any advice from me or, indeed, from Mrs Carnell on the matter of these amendments and has taken it upon himself to unilaterally oppose some of them and to attempt to make political capital out of them. Senator Macdonald has behaved even more strangely in making some further comment about a further review going on. I know of no such review, but I think it would have been perfectly open to Senator Macdonald to ask me if there were such a review going on. He conducts his shadow portfolio in mysterious ways, Madam Speaker; ways in which he has indicated that he is not prepared to support the recommendations made by the then Liberal Chief Minister of this Territory. I think anything that Senator Macdonald says in relation to the ACT has to be taken with a massive grain of salt, and that is how I would treat this apparent statement that Mr Stevenson has alluded to.
MR STEVENSON: I ask a supplementary question. Has the Government had any discussions on matters that do affect the ACT that were not included in the recommendations?
MS FOLLETT: Madam Speaker, discussions with whom and about what? I cannot answer a question like that, as it is entirely speculative. All I can say is that I have not discussed with any member of the Federal Parliament any changes to the self-government Act over and above those recommended by this Assembly.
Hospital Care
MR HUMPHRIES: Madam Speaker, my question is directed to the Minister for Health. The Minister would, no doubt, have heard comments this morning by the Federal Health Minister, Graham Richardson, on the AM program on the ABC, concerning the Victorian health budget. Mr Berry has alluded to that already. I seem to recall that Senator Richardson said that the reduction in the number of hospital beds in that State would result in people missing out on hospital care. Given that the ACT has the lowest proportion of beds per head of population in Australia, does the Minister concede the possibility that people in Canberra might also be missing out on hospital care, using Senator Richardson's criteria?
MR BERRY: No.
Ms Follett: I ask that further questions be placed on the notice paper, Madam Speaker.
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