Page 2428 - Week 06 - Thursday, 23 June 2011
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problems, and then the community may well have some restored faith that this government will be open and accountable. We have not seen it to date but the challenge is there, and it is a challenge that can easily be met and easily be measured.
MADAM ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Mrs Dunne): Chief Minister, could you move that the paper be noted?
MS GALLAGHER (Molonglo—Chief Minister, Minister for Health, Minister for Industrial Relations and Treasurer) (3.48): I move:
That the Assembly takes note of the paper.
MR HANSON (Molonglo) (3.48): Madam Assistant Speaker, Mr Seselja, in saying that Ms Gallagher should start tabling documents, is showing a deal of graciousness, because any reasonable observer of Katy Gallagher and this government over the last 10 years would lead you to only one conclusion, and that is that she is not open and she is not accountable.
It is remarkable that she made a statement in this place when, only a few hours ago, given the opportunity to be more open and more accountable in the matter of Mr Doug Buchanan, the former superintendent of the Alexander Maconochie Centre, her government flatly refused to have any form of inquiry—an inquiry that Mr Buchanan wanted to have so that he could put his case forward. It would shine a light on what has happened at the Alexander Maconochie Centre, why he was terminated by Corrective Services. This government and this Chief Minister have made the decision—and I assume that this is a collective decision—not to have an inquiry.
So she cannot stand here and make some comment about how she is going to be open and accountable when a few hours earlier she was on the record as voting against an open inquiry. Now she is scurrying off. She did deliver the paper to Mr Seselja’s office, as required, within the two-hour time frame. She made her speech and now she has moved. I hope she does return to her chair.
It is not just the fact that her government refused to have an inquiry into Mr Buchanan. We have seen repeated incidents where she has either not been open or has done everything she can to essentially bury the truth about issues.
I think the most stark is the bullying at the Canberra Hospital. She said in relation to that that there were no complaints made. On radio 666 she said there had been no complaints. That was proved to be false because the clinical review that was conducted at Calvary hospital found a significant number of complaints were made. I will quote from the clinical review:
… medical and midwifery staff reported that they discussed their concerns about disruptive behaviour within the unit with their line manager and with various executive team members; however, they did not believe these issues were addressed.
Management team members …acknowledged that they had received complaints about inappropriate behaviour by a senior clinician over a number of years.
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