Page 1510 - Week 06 - Wednesday, 6 June 2007
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The social responsibility the Stanhope government was elected on was to deliver a balanced quality of life for all Canberrans. What possible quality of life is returned by waiting for extended periods for surgery and watching those around you put their lives on hold? What possible quality of life can be had when you do not know if your business will survive while you spend months on sick leave? What possible quality of life can be had when you fear that you may not be able to care for your children as you wait and wait to access health care services?
The Stanhope government seems focused on the lifeless economics of the balance sheet prior to an election year rather than on the immediate health needs of the citizens of Canberra. Yesterday’s health budget was littered with recycled appropriation catch-up plays that failed to be delivered on previously. The chance to make a real impact on the health of Canberra families has been lost. I can back that up; I will do that in a moment.
We all have some understanding that a hospital emergency department is a challenging, frightening and demanding health facility. No-one ever wants to see a loved one in that circumstance. Canberrans want to know that they have the best possible health practitioner servicing their families—not the outcome of lowest possible price. Why is it that the Stanhope government has failed to engage, encourage and nurture this wonderful community of health professionals? Why is the morale so low?
Minister, there are lessons to be learnt from every other state health system—lessons that can assist in delivering improved service outcomes here in Canberra. I take issue with the strategy, leadership and foresight the minister has applied to matters in the portfolio. Flexibility, foresight, planning and economic decision making are just some of the hallmarks of effective government and the leadership needed in the health portfolio. I point members to an article written by Jack Waterford showing some insights into the budget debate itself. He said:
… while the Government has trumpeted various initiatives in health-care provision in this budget, it has failed to enunciate any overarching strategy to deal with the well-documented woes of the public health system in Canberra. With the ACT having the worst emergency treatment waiting times in the nation, an additional $12.6 million for 20 new acute-care beds at Canberra Hospital is welcome, and $10.5 million to reduce the wait for elective surgery (also the worst in the country) is a start. But on big-picture measures that might help deliver long-term improvements to the public health-care system, this budget is silent.
I call upon the minister to demonstrate to the Canberra community that she is prepared to lead the health sector and coach her team to deliver upon their promise to Canberra—health services up to the national benchmark.
This motion draws urgency from acknowledging two obvious and embarrassing fundamentals. Firstly, the AIHW benchmarks show that the ACT is running last in the business of delivering health outcomes. The failings in such outcomes are made much more painful for government by the fact of the high quality of the people delivering health services in the ACT.
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