Page 5922 - Week 14 - Wednesday, 8 December 2010
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, a representative of the Australian College of Midwives and a representative of the Division of General Practitioners.
That is the group that has been pulled together to implement and oversight the recommendations of the clinical services review and to build a territory-wide maternity service. The issues that have been identified in the clinical services review are there for everybody to see. There is work going on to address them. We have put extra staff in, $2 million extra, to deal with the clinical load that is coming in to the Canberra Hospital. An action plan has been developed.
I know that Dr Brown, before she went on sick leave, had a number of meetings with individuals involved in the public interest disclosure, including groups of individuals, to provide them individually with feedback around the disclosures they have made. Letters have gone out to people who were involved in the public interest disclosure process. Subsequent actions have been taken.
This motion today is essentially the Liberal Party wanting people named and any subsequent disciplinary action that may or may not have been taken being put in the public arena. I do not think that is information that the opposition needs to know. It is not information that I need to know. What I need to know is to make sure that the maternity service is being reformed, that the issues that have been identified in the clinical services review have been addressed and that recommendations to build a territory-wide maternity service are underway. That is the information that politicians need to know, and I can assure you that all of that work is being done.
I have no interest in keeping information out of the public arena. I know Mr Hanson likes to paint me as the conspiracy theory, as thick and as dark as he possibly can, but the approach I take in all parts of my portfolios is to make available whatever information I can make available, especially if it is in the public interest. But I will not stand here and let Mr Hanson get away with putting his hand on his heart and saying, “This is all about the best maternity service and ensuring staff are protected.” That is not what this is about at all. This is about Mr Hanson getting a headline and getting individuals named and shamed. Mr Hanson should be appalled at himself for taking that particular view.
The issues are being addressed. I am happy to continue to report to the Assembly about this and make sure that it is all clear and transparent. These issues are not being swept under the carpet.
MS BRESNAN (Brindabella) (11.57): I do acknowledge Mr Hanson for bringing on this motion today but I will be moving amendments to this motion later. Workplace conflict and allegations of bullying are highly concerning matters and must be dealt with sensitively. While it is incredibly important that systemic concerns are addressed and discussed in the public sphere, it is also vital that people who raise their concerns can receive the privacy and protection they require, for, if they cannot, others will be afraid to come forward in the future.
It is for these reasons that, in 1994, Mrs Carnell, the then leader of the Canberra Liberals and the opposition, tabled the Public Interest Disclosure Bill. Mrs Carnell did this in recognition that the ACT government was about to have its own public service
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video