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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1995 Week 11 Hansard (14 December) . . Page.. 3040 ..

MRS CARNELL: At this stage, Mr Moore, I cannot make a comment on whether charges will be laid or not, because further investigation needs to be undertaken. With regard to potential money lost, the initial report would tend to indicate that there is a potential loss of money, not to the ACT Government but to the ACT taxpayer. Further investigations need to be undertaken to look at exactly what has happened here. Our initial information indicates that there are some serious abnormalities.

MR CONNOLLY: My question is to the Chief Minister in her capacity as Minister for Health and Community Care. Can the Minister confirm that, while the Department of Health is cutting back on nurses and supplies in the Emergency Department and spending $1m on the Booz Allen consultancy, it is also planning a new quarter of a million dollar consultancy on a 10-year future plan for Health, or something along similar lines?

MRS CARNELL: Thank you very much, Mr Connolly, for that question.

Mr Kaine: Do a Connolly - do not plan past tomorrow.

MRS CARNELL: Obviously, planning for the future was not something that Mr Connolly was ever involved in in Health. I think the last few days have shown categorically that Mr Connolly knows nothing about Health, and that was the reason it was in such a mess. First of all, this week he determined that mammography screening was needed for in-patients.

Mr Berry: I raise a point of order. I think the question of relevance arises here. Mr Connolly asked a specific question. I would ask you, Mr Speaker, to direct Mrs Carnell to remain relevant and answer the question that he asked.

MR SPEAKER: There is no point of order.

MRS CARNELL: Mr Speaker, Mr Connolly did make comments about supposed staff cuts and changes in - - -

MR SPEAKER: There was reference to nurses, et cetera.

MRS CARNELL: He also mentioned changes in the provision of disposables and bandages and so on in Accident and Emergency. I will certainly be relevant to those sorts of things. It is interesting to note, Mr Connolly, all the things you have got wrong recently. No, we are not double using syringes. No, we are not putting the people of Canberra at risk by using clean dishes rather than sterile dishes for dressings, because it is good medical practice to do exactly that.

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