Page 3259 - Week 09 - Tuesday, 21 August 2018
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Let this minister lead by example; let us see her leadership on this. There are two cases out there. There was an email to the minister, I think on 5 August, and one on 24 July that outline bullying and harassment in a particular area in ACT Health. I challenge you, minister, to do something about it. I challenge you to report back to this Assembly, after the matter has been resolved, on how it was resolved and how the people who have made those complaints are protected in ACT Health. Then we will know that there is a cultural change. Then the staff will know they have a chance, if they make a complaint. At the moment the staff of ACT Health do not trust you. They do not trust the system because they fear that every time they make a complaint they will be victimised.
MS FITZHARRIS (Yerrabi—Minister for Health and Wellbeing, Minister for Transport and City Services and Minister for Higher Education, Training and Research) (10.31), in reply: How disappointing for those 7,000 staff in ACT Health who work tirelessly. I do not believe there was not an utterance of respect from the opposition, or thanks or recognition of the work they do every day. That will not go unnoticed. Mrs Dunne and the opposition can play politics on this matter for as long as they like. The opposition were very keen to quote back at me and Minister Rattenbury words from the surveys in March; they endlessly quoted the surveyors. I repeat again the words of the surveyors in regard to the achievements in ACT Health:
This has been no mean feat and everyone needs to recognise this achievement in a positive productive light.
For years, the opposition have had little regard for the work of ACT Health and have played politics. I have said repeatedly and I will say again that I take responsibility for the performance of ACT Health. I take responsibility for making significant strategic decisions regarding the future of ACT Health. But I recognise that ACT Health is complex, as all health systems are. It is incredibly disappointing for an organisation of 7,000 people not to have the opposition acknowledge this incredible achievement, and I am sad for them on their behalf.
I acknowledge that there will be people in large organisations that will want to have their voices heard, and I will make sure there are appropriate processes for that. As I indicated in my statement, I have also asked the interim director-general to look at other avenues, and I spoke about the Health Services Commissioner.
Madam Speaker, under standing order 47 I ask Mrs Dunne to discontinue her false claim that ACT Health failed accreditation. She said it this morning; she says it publicly, and it is not correct. It is simply not correct. It is a mistruth and it should not be repeated in this place. ACT Health did not meet a number of criteria. It is enormously significant to claim repeatedly—after repeated requests not to—that our hospital system has failed. It has not. It did not. And we should be proud. Whatever politics the opposition want to play with health to distract from their real plans in health, they cannot say a mistruth. I will seek guidance on what I do if the opposition make that claim again in this chamber and, indeed, make it publicly, because it is simply not true.
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