Page 2104 - Week 06 - Tuesday, 22 June 2010
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MS BRESNAN: Would you like to repeat that for the Hansard?
Mr Hanson: I said that it is the only way that Health actually manages patients these days.
MS BRESNAN: Or, better, I ask: what dedication do different political parties here have in relation to not only those problems in the community that are visible and can be reported in the paper but also those issues which are hidden and which no journalist can report on? There are many measures of accountability, but I do not think any academic would tell you that loudness or headlines are true measures.
The Liberal Party have claimed that they were shut down through the committee process. I claim that the opposite is true, for the lines of questioning that were pulled for the sake of media attention shut down the effectiveness of the estimates committee. Take, for example, the morning of Tuesday, 18 May when the committee was meant to be asking questions about the government’s funding of mental health. People who have a mental illness and require the services of Mental Health ACT are amongst the most vulnerable in our community. In fact, some measures of social exclusion show that they are the most vulnerable.
Here was a chance for the opposition, the Greens and Labor representatives to question the government about what is planned for the provision of services for people with mental illness. However, the primary line of questioning from the Liberals was on matters regarding obstetrics, a matter that had already been discussed in the chamber. Whenever the rest of the committee tried to bring the questioning back to mental health, the Liberals claimed they were being shut down. Such a statement is hypocritical given that they had effectively prevented the committee from asking half of its questions about mental health funding, an area which features the greatest mortality and morbidity for people under the age of 45 years. In fact, the Liberals did not appear to have prepared any questions in relation to mental health funding. One must wonder what the Liberal Party cares more about. Is it vulnerable people or is it media headlines?
Another key example of the Liberals’ hypocrisy on the shutdown of the estimates committee was their discussion regarding the federal health reforms. Ms Hunter mentioned this in her speech this morning. Again, the Liberals claim that they were prevented from bringing the government to account on the issue of GST; however, it has already been noted that about 44 pages of Hansard from health was taken up on this matter alone. That is 44 pages on one question.
Then there is an example from the recall day. Eight times in 58 minutes the Liberals asked the exact same question over and over again—a question which was irrelevant to the point and to which an answer was given.
There were many questions which I and my Greens colleagues would have liked to ask through the committee hearings. Take, for example, the issue of homelessness, an area in which significant federal and ACT government funds are being applied and in which changes in policy are occurring. The Greens did not get to ask any questions on this through the hearings as there was no time left. I also had a number of transport
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