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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 5 Hansard (13 May) . . Page.. 1286 ..

Mr Berry: That is irrelevant.

MRS CARNELL: Mr Berry has just said that the number of private hospital beds we have is irrelevant in determining whether we need more. That is the way that Mr Berry determines whether you need a private hospital. It does not matter how many you have; that is irrelevant. But the fact is that it is relevant, Mr Speaker. We looked at how many private hospital beds we have. We looked at the Australian average for private hospital beds per thousand of population - - -

Mr Berry: "So we will force this on you. You will all have to go to private hospitals".

MR SPEAKER: Will you be quiet? Ms Reilly asked the supplementary question.

MRS CARNELL: Mr Speaker, the reality is that in the ACT we have fewer private hospital beds per head of population than anywhere else in Australia, and we have a higher level of private insurance than anywhere else in Australia. Mr Speaker, if you have fewer private hospital beds per head of population and more people privately insured than anywhere else in Australia, it might be a very good idea to go out to tender and determine whether a private sector company would be interested in spending significant dollars to invest in the ACT.

We went out to tender last August, as I said, and we had three or four serious tenders. The successful tenderer was announced in January. I have to say that, if a company like HCOA, which has 37 hospitals in Australia, is interested in spending $20m and paying the ACT Government - actually, ACT Health - $2.1m up front that goes straight back into our public hospital system, for the pleasure of building a private facility in the ACT, it strikes me that it is just as likely going to be viable.

Mr Berry: Mr Speaker, Mrs Carnell may have misled the Assembly. She said that - - -

MR SPEAKER: Is this a point of order or are you just getting up and having a chat? Sit down.

Mr Berry: I seek leave, Mr Speaker, to table an article in the Canberra Times which sets out the complaint by Canberra's - - -

Mr Humphries: Mr Speaker, I raise a point of order. This is an abuse of question time.

MR SPEAKER: This is question time, yes.

Mr Humphries: It is an abuse of question time. Mr Berry should not be allowed to engage in these little stunts during question time.

Mr Berry: I seek leave - - -

MR SPEAKER: At the end of question time you may seek leave, but in the meantime - - -

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