Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .

Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 6 Hansard (21 May) . . Page.. 1526 ..

MR SPEAKER: Mr Whitecross, as Speaker, I am required to uphold the standing orders. I will do that to the very best of my ability. My attention has been drawn to standing order 115, which states:

Questions may be put to the Speaker relating to any matter of administration for which the Speaker is responsible.

I will uphold standing orders.

Hospital Bed Numbers

MR BERRY: It shows you what the crossbenches think of question time.

MR SPEAKER: Now, now, Mr Berry!

MR BERRY: My question is directed to the Chief Minister as Minister for Health. Is it true that the accident and emergency section at Woden Valley Hospital was on bypass for emergency patients this morning as a result of a clogged accident and emergency department due to a lack of beds in the hospital and that there were only two beds available at Calvary Hospital?

MRS CARNELL: I will take that question on notice and report back as soon as I can get the information.

Contaminated Sites - Watson

MR KAINE: Mr Speaker, I put a question to Mr Humphries, the Minister for the Environment, Land and Planning. Minister, I am sure you are aware of the concerns of some residents of Watson about their input to the expert group that you formed to advise the Government on contamination in some areas of the suburb of Watson. Can you inform the Assembly of what has been done to address those concerns?

MR HUMPHRIES: Mr Speaker, I thank Mr Kaine for the question. I know that there are some contaminated sites within his electorate, and members generally across the house are concerned about this issue. I also acknowledge that Ms Horodny, who has now arrived for question time - welcome, Ms Horodny - was also concerned about the question of contaminated sites, at Watson particularly, and about the existence of the expert group that we have established to look at the question of whether contamination occurring at that site was naturally occurring or man made and, if it was naturally occurring, whether it posed the same health risk, or any health risk for that matter, to residents on that site.

Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .