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Mrs Carnell: Why did you not just get in touch with me?

Mr De Domenico: You could have rung up.

MR CONNOLLY: I did. Mrs Carnell selectively produced a letter from Dr Lawrence. I did ring my former departmental secretary and ask, in my role as former Minister, for access to documents that were prepared for me and sent to me, and that was the response that we got. Mr Speaker, it is essentially a smokescreen. Mrs Carnell, true to form, has to blame somebody else for her decisions. Mrs Carnell should get up in this place now and explain why she has taken the very radical step of abandoning totally the role of the Territory Government in the provision of a vital service for the aged.

She should also explain, and Mr Berry will develop these points further in his remarks, why she at the same time has made a very fundamental decision, which will impact very adversely on Canberra's ageing, to remove totally the role of the salaried medical practitioner in Canberra's community health centres. This has been a feature of the provision of health care in this community for some 20-odd years, a vital part in the very effective mix of public and private medicine that has developed over 20 years in this town. Labor has a commitment to that effective mix of public and private medicine. This Government, driven obsessively by a dry ideology, is increasingly showing itself to be obsessed with excluding a role for the public sector.

MR SPEAKER: Order! I make two points: Firstly, the electronic clocks are not accurate. The lights will come on two minutes before the end of a member's speech, but we will keep an eye on it from here. Secondly, I remind members, and all in the chamber, of standing order 207, which I think I should read. It says:

In the case of grave disorder arising in the Assembly, the Speaker may adjourn the Assembly without question put, or suspend any sitting to a time to be named by the Speaker.

I hope that we can have a sensible, intelligent debate on this very important matter.

Mr Berry: Tell the bunch of yahoos you have over there.

MR SPEAKER: Just a moment. I am happy to control the interjections that are coming through. This is a very important matter relating to the entire Territory, and I believe that all members should be heard in as much silence as possible.

MRS CARNELL (Chief Minister and Minister for Health and Community Care) (11.19): Mr Speaker, of the six ACT nursing homes, Jindalee is the only one operated by the ACT Government. The other five ACT nursing homes are operated by private for-profit organisations or charitable not-for-profit organisations. To assist those older people who can no longer live at home, there is a range of accommodation services available to residents of the ACT community, including hostels, nursing homes and other forms of accommodation. Nursing homes provide supportive accommodation for those people

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