Page 2596 - Week 09 - Wednesday, 24 August 1994
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MS FOLLETT: Madam Speaker, I believe that, given that the Government derives its income from ACTTAB from turnover, ACTTAB obviously have to work hard to increase their turnover. The deal they have done with the Victorian TAB, I believe, puts them in a good position to do just that, and that is why the Minister has been at such pains to ensure that the outcome from a very difficult situation was the best that could possibly be negotiated for ACTTAB and for the punters of the TAB.
We have seen consistently throughout this attempts by members opposite, members of the Liberal Party, to sabotage the Minister's efforts. There is no doubt in my mind that members opposite have put their politicking ahead of the well-being of either ACTTAB or the punters of the ACT. They have continued to try to undermine the TAB - they are doing it again now - and that is exactly what the TAB does not need. If they had any interest in this organisation or in the racing industry in the ACT, they would offer support to the TAB and to the Minister - - -
Mr De Domenico: You have not got a clue.
MADAM SPEAKER: Mr De Domenico, the Chief Minister would have a better chance of answering the question if you did not interject.
MS FOLLETT: I will leave it at that, Madam Speaker.
Hospital Equipment - Vietnam Project
MS SZUTY: My question without notice is to the Minister for Health, Mr Connolly. Last evening's WIN news referred to obsolete hospital equipment being sent to Vietnam for use there. I am sure that, in normal circumstances, all members of the Assembly would compliment the ACT Government on this initiative. However, is the Minister aware that a number of requests had been made through the community health area of the Department of Health for the provision of, in particular, emergency trolleys from the former Royal Canberra Hospital before the decision was taken to send the equipment to Vietnam?
MR CONNOLLY: Madam Speaker, I am certainly aware that there have been a lot of requests for surplus bits and pieces from Royal Canberra Hospital. A decision was made some years ago by my predecessor, and I am confident that it was the right decision, that we could maximise the impact of that surplus equipment if we focused it in one direction. Wayne Berry's decision to accept the offer from Vietnam Outreach, which is a church based group that has been providing support to a range of organisations in Vietnam, I am convinced, was the right one. Certainly, in any given time, with tranches of equipment, we could no doubt have put an ad in the paper asking who wanted bits and pieces, and there would have been people in Canberra who would have said, "Yes, I could use a trolley" or "I could use a bit of dental equipment", or what have you. We could have put it all up for sale, but we probably would have got very little for it.
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