Page 2808 - Week 09 - Wednesday, 17 September 2014
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Mr Hanson: Madam Speaker, on a point of order, I believe it was disorderly and I think it would be appropriate that Mr Rattenbury withdraw his disorderly remark.
Members interjecting—
MADAM SPEAKER: Can I have some order, please. There is a point of order. Mr Hanson is entitled to be heard in silence.
Mr Hanson: Madam Speaker, given that you did hear it—and I think others did—it was disorderly and I think it would be appropriate if Mr Rattenbury were to withdraw.
MADAM SPEAKER: I do not know who made the scoff. I think that it is disorderly and people can reflect on that. If the member responsible—
Mr Corbell: Madam Speaker—
MADAM SPEAKER: Sit down, Mr Corbell—wants to own up and withdraw, that is fine.
Mr Corbell: On a point of order, Madam Speaker, if we are reflecting on behaviour of members in this chamber, then could I ask you to give any indication whether you believe the level of interjection during the Chief Minister’s answer to the last question was in any way reasonable, given that she had to shout to be heard.
MADAM SPEAKER: I will take that in the superficial spirit, on the basis of the words and not the tone, and I will remind remembers in this place that I have said that I do not believe that the debate in this place should be conducted in silence. The rules that I would put in place are that there should not be personal reflections, there should be a capacity for people to be heard. And you will recall that there have been a number of times this morning when I called people to order when a speaker could not be heard. I called people to order during the answer to questions. You will also recall that I am fairly quick to call people to order when I think it is necessary and to warn people. And I will name them when the need arises.
Health—costs
MRS JONES: My question is to the Minister for Health. Minister, in the Canberra Times on 7 April this year you said that the high level of growth in health costs was unsustainable and that you would take moves to slow the increase. You said: “It’s clear we have to look at new ways to manage our growing health costs.” This week in the Canberra Times of 15 September a report headed “Canberra’s public hospitals are Australia’s most expensive” states that if Canberra’s hospitals were compared only with other principal referral hospitals, we still have the highest national costs at $6,365 per patient, 25 per cent more than the national average. The ACT Health Care Consumers Association executive director, Darlene Cox, said: “There’s a whole lot of waste and duplication in the system that we need to address.” Minister, is there “a whole lot of waste and duplication in the system” as observed by the ACT Health Care Consumers Association?
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