Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .
Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 7 Hansard (28 June) . . Page.. 2134 ..
MR
MOORE: I want to make the following personal explanation to try to avoid the wasting of more time on political point scoring. Yesterday afternoon it was suggested that I had said in this Assembly that the report of the death review committee has said that the claims by a certain Dr Phil Jeans were false. As members can see for themselves, the committee reached conclusions that directly rebut public allegations made by a surgeon.The language of the report extends simply to stating the facts. It does not in itself make reference to the allegations of the surgeon. The comment that the allegations are "false" is my statement, which of course I stand by. When challenged yesterday with the suggestion that I had attributed the word "false" to the report itself-in fact, "patently false"-I acknowledged that the report did not itself refer to the allegations, other than to indicate that the examination undertaken by the committee was a direct result of the allegations being made.
I also said that if I had inadvertently attributed direct comments about falsity to the committee then I would withdraw and apologise. An examination of the draft Hansard does indicate that at one point yesterday, namely in answer to a question, I am recorded as having suggested that the report itself "said" that the allegations were false, although I believe at no stage did I imply that I was quoting verbatim from the report, as Mr Berry's motion suggests.
That having been said, I withdrew any implication that I was quoting from the text of the report. To make it absolutely clear, to correct the record I repeat my withdrawal of the word "said" in this context. I apologise again to anyone who may have been offended by the word "said", whether it be Dr Jeans, whether it be members of the Assembly, or whether it be anybody else. Of course, I stand by the obvious fact that the findings of the committee, when compared to the allegations made, show that those allegations are unsubstantiated.
MR SPEAKER: Before I call on questions without notice, I would like to recognise the presence in the gallery of a local government area study group from Canberra Girls Grammar School. I welcome you to your Assembly.
MR STANHOPE: My question is to the Minister for Health and Community Care. Mr Speaker, in the report of the Special Death Review Committee which the minister released yesterday following complaints by Dr Philip Jeans, it is not disputed that the surgery was delayed. The report acknowledges that the patient's critical condition and the need for resuscitation were partly responsible for the delay, but points also to problems of communication as another factor in the delay. Firstly, can the minister tell
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .