Page 2533 - Week 09 - Tuesday, 23 August 1994
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Ms Szuty has spoken already about the amount of Comcare premiums this year. The Estimates Committee spoke about this last year as well. It is fascinating to read what the report says. I quote:
Despite escalating costs of premiums, failure to achieve rehabilitation of workers, and information that agencies such as ACTEW could self-insure much more cheaply than continuing to deal with Comcare, the Chief Minister was unwilling to reconsider the workers' compensation arrangements in place for any ACT agency.
There is no doubt that that is damning of Government policy, not just this year but last year as well. What happened? Absolutely nothing. We heard about the Housing Trust - something that I am sure Mr Cornwell will speak about. It was owed $3.3m in rent arrears. What did they do? They called in the debt collectors. But when they called in the debt collectors what happened? They did not have proper information to track down the defaulters in many circumstances.
I move on to health. I was fascinated to hear Mr Connolly's comments about the Estimates Committee's report on the actual cost of opening private beds. The Estimates Committee has been quite definite. It supports the opening of private beds in the ACT as a method of taking the pressure off the public hospital system. But Mr Connolly says that he did it to save $1.1m. Mr Connolly knows, as the Estimates Committee knew, that that would work only if all of those patients, the whole 1,400 patients, who would have had their babies in the public hospital system had them in the private system and none of those beds were used.
Mr Connolly: All the doctors are laughing about that little stunt.
MRS CARNELL: Only if none of those beds were used would that money be saved. Even if they were all day patients, Mr Connolly, it would still cost money. As the whole Estimates Committee said - there were no dissents whatsoever from this - Mr Connolly, you did not tell it as it was. You did not tell the truth.
Mr Connolly: Oh!
MADAM SPEAKER: Order, Mrs Carnell!
MRS CARNELL: I withdraw.
Mr Kaine: What you meant to say was that he misled the house.
MRS CARNELL: No. I think anyone just needs to read this. That is all right.
MADAM SPEAKER: Mr Kaine, that is completely out of order as well.
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