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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2003 Week 8 Hansard (20 August) . . Page.. 2978 ..

MR SMYTH (continuing):

those 30 beds, the ability to perform 2,200 operations a year. That is something that we should look at, Mr Speaker, because that would end some of Mr Corbell's waiting list woes immediately.

The national average cost of an acute care bed is $427. The national average for an aged care bed is $80. If Mr Corbell's priority applications for direct sales of land take two years and his proactivity takes more than a year to initiate works for sites in Belconnen and in Tuggeranong, it would seem that people in the ACT and older Canberrans will be waiting a very long time before they see any end to the crisis in aged care in the ACT. It is just going to get worse.

Canberra currently has something like 200 of what I have termed phantom beds. My understanding is that another 100 beds are on the way, so that is 300 beds, 300 Canberrans who could be receiving more appropriate care, unblocking the bed block in the hospital, helping with the waiting lists and actually saving the health budget a significant number of dollars every year.

Mr Speaker, members should support the motion. It is a far better motion than the pat on the back, self-congratulatory amendment that Mr Corbell has moved, which really says, "Things should stay the same. Why change? We are doing a good job. Let the crisis go on."The government's amendment simply says things should stay the same.

What we are urging them to do is to get a hurry on and push aged care applications through. We are asking them to be proactive by finding a dozen sites. We started work in July 2001 when I made the statement on the search for a dozen sites across Canberra that could be released progressively over the coming years, so that people could actually make applications to the federal government for beds to be provided.

Mr Corbell said that we do not need a step-down facility for southern Canberra, but would I be right, Minister, in saying the step-down facility was planned for Calvary Hospital, or has that changed to a different site?

Mr Corbell: It has not been decided.

MR SMYTH: Mr Corbell says the site for a step-down facility has not been decided. That is two years of inactivity-

MR SPEAKER: Question time is tomorrow, Mr Smyth.

MR SMYTH: It was just a general question, Mr Speaker, and the minister kindly answered. There again, that is two years of inactivity by this government on the issue of a step-down facility.

I do note that respite, in the main, is the domain of the federal government, but I think we do have a role in the way such services are delivered, in making sure we are getting it right and in providing appropriate advice to the federal government.

I would ask that members leave the motion as it is. I think that to have something that is self-congratulatory and says "Leave it as it is"is not the way to answer this question. Therefore, I ask Ms Tucker to withdraw her amendment and her support for

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