Page 2893 - Week 10 - Tuesday, 13 August 2013
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where we have seen a 12-month delay; the north side hospital specification documentation, a 12-month delay; the provision for project definition planning, a 12-month delay. With regard to the secure mental health facility, it depends where you take the starting point in terms of delay. This is part of the issue with some of these projects as well. If you take it just from when it was last in the budget, for example, the secure mental health facility looks like it has only had a 12-month delay. But if you know the full history of these projects then you are talking about nearly a decade of delay. So it can be a little misleading if you only take in that year’s snapshot.
We know that health infrastructure has been problematic. We know the Canberra Hospital car park was $13.5 million over budget and 18 months late.
Ms Gallagher: No, it was not. Tell the truth in here.
MR HANSON: The truth is that that is what happened, and I will let the minister talk when she has got a chance rather than interject now.
I then turn to the issue of the pay negotiations. I talked about this earlier, but you have got the ANF saying that the negotiations are disrespectful and insulting, and I quote:
There is no respect for Nurses and Midwives in this offer. It is below CPI figures, it does not keep up with the cost of living … it does not recognise the dedication of Nursing and Midwifery staff in a demanding health care environment.
Nurses and Midwives are not interested in taking what is, in effect, a pay cut.
Jenny Miragaya said:
Well this is the worst pay offer that’s been made, it doesn’t even compare with the conservative governments in the rest of Australia.
This is the least pay offer that my nurses have been offered in well over 30 years.
And there was talk about action ballots and action being taken by the nurses.
We have a situation where there is often debate in this place, and I do the job that I have to do, which is to hold the government to account on its health system. We have seen some particularly difficult issues, particularly around the emergency department, and we have pursued that doggedly. We came up with the evidence. And we found that the results were being fabricated. That was a difficult issue.
There are many difficult issues. There are many difficult issues that the government has to deal with and that we have to deal with. And there are more interjections from the minister.
Ms Gallagher: We came out and told you.
MR HANSON: The minister is saying that she came out and told us, but what she did not come out and tell us was some of the detail around that, and I have not got time to litigate that again. But we know what we are talking about.
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