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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 3 Hansard (10 April) . . Page.. 884 ..

MR HUMPHRIES (continuing):

to the system than having people who are doing it on normal time, so to speak, and that will provide for the service on a sustainable basis. At the moment, the service is not particularly sustainable because it is, in a sense, on an overbudget arrangement.

I anticipate that, with the recruitment of additional people in the near future - that process is under way at the moment, as is the process of training additional people - we should have a sustainable basis for the fifth crew from this point onwards. I believe it is the case that, at this point in time, the fifth ambulance is there. I very much doubt that we are going to see any praise from the Opposition for the fact that that ambulance, promised five years ago by Mr Berry, has now been delivered by the Liberal Government.

MR WOOD: Minister, do you not find it amazing that before February you could keep a fifth ambulance on the road for only 52 per cent of the time to cover the night shift, but since you were shamed into keeping your budget promise you have been able to keep a fifth ambulance on the road all the time? Minister, is it not the case that you have been misleading the community?

MR HUMPHRIES: Mr Speaker, if Mr Wood had the guts, he would say that I have been misleading the Assembly and he would put a motion to that effect, but he has not. Let me say to him that the fact of the matter is that we have provided that service by being able to fund it to a greater level than we originally anticipated.

Mr Whitecross: After you got caught out.

MR HUMPHRIES: Mr Speaker, I say what I said before. I make no apologies for having tried to achieve that service at an earlier point.

Mr Whitecross: Only half of the time.

MR HUMPHRIES: Is that not amazing, Mr Speaker? We promised a fifth ambulance and we achieved only nine-tenths of that ambulance as of a couple of months ago. Are we not a disgrace as a government? We promised a fifth ambulance and achieved only nine-tenths of it. Of course, the Opposition that attacks us for that also promised a fifth ambulance back in 1991 and did not ever get past the fourth ambulance.

Mr Berry: It was never promised.

MR HUMPHRIES: Mr Berry, yes, you did. I suggest, Mr Berry, that - - -

Ms McRae: We did not put a tax on it and then not deliver.

MR HUMPHRIES: We have provided it, Ms McRae, and that stands to our credit.

MR SPEAKER: Order! It is amazing. Mr Wood asked the question and everybody else is contributing.

Mr Wood: They are entitled to help out.

MR SPEAKER: I thought you might have been interested in the answer.

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