Page 2856 - Week 09 - Thursday, 13 August 2015
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MR HANSON: Minister, what are you doing now to ensure that ACT Health is keeping records to make sure all money owed is collected?
MR CORBELL: The recommendations of the Auditor-General are all matters that ACT Health has already actioned. Mr Hanson would know that from reading the Auditor-General’s report—that the Health Directorate has outlined its response to the matters raised in the auditor’s report. Those remedial steps are being undertaken.
It is worth highlighting that ACT Health has taken positive action to address these matters raised by Mr Hanson to ensure that, in relation to non-admitted patient records for the purposes of commonwealth funding, we have raised that from 95 to 99 per cent. That was before the auditor’s report was handed down. Further, we are able to make sure that we claim all the money, that shortfall of $3 million, from the commonwealth authorities without any material loss for ACT Health.
I believe there is every reason to be confident, first of all, that in relation to admitted services the Health Directorate has very good and capable data management and, in relation to unadmitted services, that the Auditor-General’s report has assisted us to rectify a small number of matters with no material loss to the territory.
MADAM SPEAKER: Supplementary question, Mrs Jones.
MRS JONES: Minister, can you guarantee all money is being collected?
MR CORBELL: I can be very confident that ACT Health is taking all reasonable and practical steps to recover commonwealth payments for unadmitted services.
MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Mrs Jones.
MRS JONES: Minister, is $3 million considered an incidental figure to the government?
MR CORBELL: The government does not consider any amount of money to be incidental or minor when it comes to health or, indeed, any other form of expenditure. The point of course to be made is that in the context of the overall health budget it is a small percentage.
Parking—fees
MRS JONES: My question is to the Chief Minister. The 2015-16 ACT budget includes an extra $1 million in parking revenue from the introduction of after-hours paid parking in the city. Visitors to the city will now pay for parking until 10.30 pm every day. The increase in paid parking times will also cause, presumably, an increase in the need for parking inspectors. Minister, what is the cost of increasing the working hours of parking inspectors to the territory?
MR BARR: That exact figure will of course be dependent on the number of inspectors that are working in those particular precincts on any given day. It is also
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