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Exhibition Park

MR CONNOLLY: My question is to Mr De Domenico in his capacity as Minister for Urban Services. I remind the Minister of a direction by the former Labor Government, in fact by me as Minister, to Exhibition Park management, or Natex management as they then were, that that venue is not to be used for armaments exhibitions. I also remind the Minister of the howls of derision with which this direction was greeted by members of the Liberal Party. Is that direction still in place, or will Exhibition Park be open for business for another Aidex or similar arms exhibition?

MR DE DOMENICO: I thank the Minister for his question. Mr Speaker, I am not aware of any piece of paper or request in front of me asking me to allow EPIC to be used for anything that Mr Connolly is contemplating. I will check that, Mr Connolly, and I will get back to you with a response.

MR CONNOLLY: By way of a supplementary question or by way of asking the question again: Is EPIC open for business if such a request is made, or does the ban imposed by the former Government and criticised by your colleagues remain in force?

MR DE DOMENICO: That ban has not been revoked by me; so, until it is revoked by me, it remains in force.

Ambulance Service

MR MOORE: Mr Speaker, my question is to Mrs Carnell as Minister for Health and Community Care and it refers to the Ambulance Service. Is it the case, Chief Minister, that people who are not covered by private health insurance are not covered in any way for the cost of ambulance services in the ACT?

MRS CARNELL: I will pass that question on to Mr Humphries. He is the Minister responsible, because they were moved into Emergency Services.

MR HUMPHRIES: Mr Speaker, it is not true that people are not covered for ambulance services, depending on their insurance status. Everybody who has an injury or accident in the Territory, or an illness that warrants the use of an ambulance, will receive ambulance care. The question of billing afterwards is governed by the insurance arrangements and this has been the case for some time. A person who privately insures with a health insurance fund in the Territory has a deduction made from that contribution for the ACT Ambulance Service. It is a levy arrangement. Those who are not members of a health fund, in effect, could be said to be being subsidised, I suppose, by those who make that contribution or directly by the ACT Government.

MR MOORE: Mr Speaker, I have a supplementary question. Mr Humphries, I am given to understand from one of my constituents who phoned that he was provided with a significant bill after using the Ambulance Service. He was not a member of a private health insurance fund. Is this the normal process and do you have in mind any way to deal with it?

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