2008-09-10
Minister for Health – Confidence in
Mr MILLS to CHIEF MINISTER
Given that the Coroner’s report into the death of Mrs Winter found systematic failures at Royal Darwin Hospital between 2006 and 2007, do you have full confidence in your Minister for Health?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the Leader of the Opposition for his question. The death of Mrs Winter was a tremendous tragedy. It was something that should not have occurred. I know my colleague, the Health Minister, has made an apology to the family of Mrs Winter.
What we have to do, as a result of this tragedy, is to implement the recommendations the Coroner made to ensure as much as possible this would never happen again. It is an absolute commitment, on behalf of the government, on behalf of the Health Minister, to ensure that those recommendations are implemented.
To that effect, today, my colleague, the Health Minister, has made a significant announcement regarding the direction that the department will implement, without delay, the nursing hours per patient day system. This is a system of allocating nurses by the hour to patients regarding the acuity of care that those patients need. To ensure that there is absolute commitment to doing that, the Health Minister has announced today that Professor Christine Duffield, an eminent expert in this area, is to provide independent oversight into the implementation of this system.
This is a Health Minister who has not only made a commitment to ensure that the recommendations of the Coroner are implemented, but one of the pre-eminent experts in this area in Australia will oversee the implementation of that new system, and the other four recommendations that the Coroner made will be implemented.
I have absolute confidence in my colleague, the Health Minister, to ensure that the recommendations the Coroner has made will be implemented and will be implemented thoroughly.
Election Commitments
Mr GUNNER to CHIEF MINISTER
During the last election, the Labor government made a number of commitments to Territorians. These commitments, covering the length and breadth of the Territory, were made in a number of critical areas. Can the Chief Minister please advise the House of the government’s intentions in respect to the commitments we made to Territorians?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague, the member for Fannie Bay, for his question - his first question in this House. Yes, we did make commitments right across this great Northern Territory of ours, and I am absolutely 100% committed to ensure that those election commitments are implemented. We made commitments in all key areas of government, from the economy through to the environment. They were extensive and they covered the entire Northern Territory. We believe implementing these commitments will secure the future of the Northern Territory. We introduced fresh ideas about the future. The challenge now is to make sure we get results as a result of those commitments.
Our commitments were carefully costed. One of the great hallmarks of this government has been the tight fiscal management of the budget, the fact that we have brought in six surplus budgets in a row. We are committed to a fiscal strategy that delivers surplus budgets. All of our commitments were thoroughly costed and received the tick from Treasury.
It was a tight election but, unlike the opposition, where there was around a $100m black hole in the costings that they put forward, our costings absolutely had the tick from Treasury. If the CLP had been elected, there would have been a razor gang implemented, around 15% cut across the entire public service, and about one in six public servants would have been facing losing their jobs. Our commitments are fully costed against the forward estimates and got the tick from Treasury.
Our commitments are achievable and they will be achieved. We will implement them all, or they will be bettered. To demonstrate the determination in terms of accountability for this, I am tabling these commitments today. I will report to this parliament every June and November in regard to the progress in implementing these commitments. That is about transparency, it is about accountability, and it is about delivering for Territorians on the commitments that we made. I am prepared to be held accountable. We will be accountable against those commitments.
The commitments are made over a full four years of the term of the government, and they will be implemented over that four year term. They will be brought on as they are prepared and when the budget is able to contain them. As I said in the media conference yesterday, if we have increased budget revenue, some of those may be able to be brought forward, but obviously they will have to be implemented within an appropriate fiscal policy.
I am proud of the commitments we took to the people of the Territory. I stand here recognising and thanking the people of the Northern Territory for having confidence in us for another four years and make an absolute commitment that those election commitments will be implemented.
Royal Darwin Hospital - Nurse Staffing Crisis
Mr CONLAN to MINISTER for HEALTH
Do you accept the Coroner’s findings that there was a nurse staffing crisis at Royal Darwin Hospital in 2006 and 2007, and that this very crisis contributed to the death of Mrs Margaret Winter?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Greatorex for his question. I have said on the public record, and I will lay it on the record here, I accept the Coroner’s findings in their entirety and, yes, that is what he did find.
Public Sector – Meeting Economic Growth
Mr McCARTHY to CHIEF MINISTER
The Territory is in the midst of the strongest period of economic growth in its history. Strong growth requires good planning and coordination action by government to ensure that the Territory keeps up with the services and infrastructure needs. Over the next few years, more major projects are going to come our way. Can the Chief Minister tell the House how he is bolstering the public sector to meet these growing needs?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Barkly for his first question in this parliament. Growth is happening right across the Northern Territory, and very excitedly for the member for Barkly, including the Barkly, including Tennant Creek, and there are some exciting projects coming onboard in Tennant Creek. I was there with other ministers the week after the election announcing major project status for Tennant Creek in regard to some of those projects. The growth is happening right across the Northern Territory, and it is growth that really is far exceeding what we envisaged.
The latest State Final Demand figures that were released through ABS just last week revised State Final Demand growth in the Northern Territory up by 7.8% in June 2008, so, State Final Demand is outgrowing the rest of the country. We have the leading economic growth in the Northern Territory. Australia is around 4.3%, we are 7.8%. I know the opposition does not like to hear good news but investment in the Northern Territory is up 20.1%; private sector investment is up 11.7% in annual terms. The largest contributing factor was business investment in machinery and equipment. So this is small business, medium business, large business in the Northern Territory investing in their businesses in machinery and equipment and that means more jobs for Territorians.
However, it does bring issues to the Northern Territory. The Jetstar hub is being established; and we have more mines coming on stream across the Northern Territory. I am absolutely determined to bring INPEX to the Northern Territory; I have done everything I can to secure that project. Our population is growing. This is all good news for the Northern Territory.
That drives a greater demand for infrastructure and for services right across the Territory. That is why I have announced today a Territory Growth Planning Unit within my Department of the Chief Minister. The unit will consist of demographers, planners, economists and other experts to coordinate activity across government to ensure that we are up with the game and up with the challenge that has been provided by the private sector and the drive in our economy to keep up to pace with infrastructure and services.
I am pleased to announce today that the unit will be headed up by Dave Malone. I know a lot of people here will know Dave Malone. He had a very successful record in the private sector. He headed up the Territory Construction Association for many years, and he will be very able and capable in heading up this unit. It will be able to provide government with the best possible advice on future needs. We will meet that advice. We have a growing Territory, a strongly growing economy, a strongly growing population, and we are going to keep up to pace with that. It is an exciting time for the Territory.
Royal Darwin Hospital – Nurse Staffing Crisis
Mr CONLAN to MINISTER for HEALTH
Given you accept that there was a nurse staffing crisis at the Royal Darwin Hospital in 2006 and 2007, how do you justify your media statement on 18 December 2006, titled ‘Health System in Good Shape’, in which you boast about the nursing staffing levels, just two days after the death of Mrs Margaret Winter?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Greatorex for his question. Yes, I did put out a media release on 18 December, but it was in response to the then shadow, Dr Richard Lim, who had been in the media making comments about the EBA.
I think you need to put my media release in the context of the comments by Richard Lim. This is from the ABC news on 18 August at 1 pm:
- The Northern Territory opposition says the government is struggling to pay doctors and nurses because of an increase in health bureaucrats. Last week, doctors and nurses both rejected a 6% wage rise over two years. The opposition Health spokesman, Richard Lim, says medical staff are already working regular overtime. He says the latest failed round of negotiations could see many of them leave the Territory.
And then the quote from Dr Lim …
Mr Conlan: Sounds like trouble to me.
Dr BURNS: You have asked a question and I am answering it. Dr Lim:
- In the last four years, the government has increased its health bureaucrats by 193, some 20%, and they have to be paid and so they are robbing the nurses and doctors to pay the health bureaucrats.
Madam Speaker, my media release was in relation to those comments specifically about the EBA. I mentioned the EBA right at the top of my media release, and then I go on to say:
- Under this government, an additional 102 doctors, or plus 37.5%, and 271 nurses, or plus 21%, have been employed since 2001.
Madam Speaker, that is the case. This government, since 2001, has employed an extra 433 nurses within our hospitals. This government has employed an extra 162 doctors within our hospitals. This government has increased health spending by 89% …
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Order!
Dr BURNS: If you want to talk specifically about Royal Darwin Hospital, since 2001, we have actually doubled the expenditure at Royal Darwin Hospital from $112m to $225m. That is fact. If you look at the cumulative spend at Royal Darwin Hospital, year by year, by the extra amounts that have been put in every year, the cumulative extra spend is some $460m - almost $0.5bn.
My job as Health Minister is to ensure that the departments and our hospitals are adequately resourced to carry out the job that they have to do. It is the job of the department to manage those resources. I am sure the opposition have many questions about this coronial and the coronial findings. I am more than happy to take them, and I am more than happy to speak about the direct findings of the Coroner.
____________________
Distinguished Visitor
Mr Peter Alcock
Distinguished Visitor
Mr Peter Alcock
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of the Clerk of the Legislative Assembly of Tasmania, Mr Peter Alcock. On behalf of honourable members, I extend to you a very warm welcome.
Members: Hear, hear!
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Bellamack – Benefit to Territory Families
Ms WALKER to MINISTER for PLANNING and LANDS
Earlier today, the minister announced the developer for the new suburb of Bellamack. Can the minister explain to the House how the development of Bellamack will benefit Territory families?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Nhulunbuy for her first question in this Chamber. Following a very thorough assessment process, I am pleased to announce that the Urban Pacific and Brierty Consortia have been selected as the developer for the new suburb of Bellamack in Palmerston. The consortia’s master plan embodied the best practice planning principles and embraced the government’s new initiatives of water sensitive design, third pipe and fibre optics, and met the requirements of our expression of interest document.
Urban Pacific is a highly experienced development company with successful developments right throughout Australia. They will be working in partnership with our very own local company, the Larrakia Development Corporation, local industry, workers, and local builders.
The first blocks in Bellamack are aimed to be ready for sale in 2009. Bellamack is just one of a number of residential developments to deliver new homes for Territorians. Earlier this week, I announced the fast-tracking of the next three suburbs in Palmerston East - Johnston, Zuccoli and Mitchell. Bellamack will provide about 700 lots and new homes, and there will be another 3000 blocks available in the suburbs of Palmerston East.
Bellamack will create a range of housing options for Territory families who want to invest in their new home. It will include, and this is government policy, 15% for affordable and social housing making home ownership more accessible for our low to middle income earners. The development of Bellamack is an important part of our government’s families’ strategy. We are already investing in new schools in Rosebery, roads and recreation areas as part of our election commitments to cater for these new residents.
The Territory economy is booming and yes, we are experiencing growth pains, and it is important to deliver more land into the marketplace to meet that growing demand. The government is committed to responsible and appropriate release of land to meet the market demand, while not devaluing the investments that people already have in the marketplace.
INPEX Gas Plant
Mr WOOD to CHIEF MINISTER
You said that one of the reasons you called the election was that INPEX needed certainty, or as you said in your taxpayer-funded brochure: ‘… without wholehearted support from government, this project will not proceed in Darwin’. You then proceeded to lose six seats in the election and only just hung on to government. What message has that now sent to INPEX about your government’s handling of this project? Do you not accept that your total spin about the siting of INPEX in Darwin Harbour has not the wholehearted support of people as you claimed? Why have you not completed the environmental impact statement the government promised for Glyde Point in January 2006?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Nelson for his question and his ongoing, unwavering opposition to the INPEX gas plant ...
Mr WOOD: A point of order, Madam Speaker! The Chief Minister is not telling the truth. He knows that I support INPEX. I do not support it in the middle of the harbour. He is deliberately misleading this parliament.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Nelson, if you feel that the Chief Minister misrepresented what you have said, you can approach me to make a personal explanation after Question Time. Chief Minister, please answer the question.
Mr HENDERSON: In responding to the member for Nelson, he cannot stand here and say that he supports the INPEX project, but he does not support it going at Middle Arm. He has been told by the company that it is Middle Arm or Western Australia. He knows that if he was to take it from Middle Arm the project would go to Western Australia. He is very mischievous in his comments about this project.
We have done, as a government, I have done, as the Chief Minister, everything I can to secure this project for the Northern Territory. We have a project facilitation agreement in place, and contractual arrangements in place for precisely what land is available at Middle Arm, and the terms and conditions for the sale of that land. If Darwin is chosen, the company will have to go through the most rigorous of Northern Territory and Commonwealth environmental approval processes. There will be no compromise, absolutely no compromise, on the environmental standards that INPEX will have to meet to develop their project in Darwin.
We can have this project that will not only secure 4000 jobs in the construction phase but, most importantly for the Northern Territory, an extra $50bn into our economy over the next 20 years. Now, that is an extra $50bn into the economy which will employ thousands of Territorians, create enterprise opportunities, business opportunities for small, medium, and large businesses right across the Northern Territory, and will give governments into the future additional revenues to further expand infrastructure services right across the Northern Territory.
A responsible government, a government with the interests of the Northern Territory at heart, should be going after these major projects, because we can have both. We can have the investment, we can have the jobs, we can have the economic activity, and we can have world-class environmental outcomes. We can have both. I am committed to both. I look forward to a decision from INPEX and hope the decision comes our way.
Planned Residential Developments
Mr GUNNER to MINISTER for PLANNING and LANDS
The minister has just informed the House about the new development in Bellamack. Looking further to the future, can the minister please outline any further residential developments which are planned to satisfy the high demand driven by the Territory’s booming economy and record growth?
Mr Elferink: This is Monday’s media release.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Fannie Bay for his question, even though the member for Port Darwin does not want to see the opportunity for new homes in the Palmerston East suburbs. There are many people in the marketplace in the low to middle income bracket who are looking forward to the release of Palmerston East suburbs.
I announced that the government would fast-track the release of these suburbs to meet the growing demand. With our booming economy, we obviously need to meet the growing demand for new homes in the marketplace. The Northern Territory government is fast-tracking the development. We will be spending around $50m to provide for the headworks to allow these subdivisions to proceed, and we will do this protecting the Mitchell Creek corridor. There is significant investment in these headworks to protect the Mitchell Creek corridor, unlike the CLP developments of the past where they were happy to see developers carve up Mitchell Creek. Unlike the CLP of the past, we will protect the environmental integrity of Mitchell Creek through government expenditure in headworks.
We are bringing the headworks infrastructure forward to this financial year and 2009-10. We will deliver, through the three Palmerston East suburbs, around 3000 new lots into the marketplace. The first suburb that will be proceeding will be Johnston; that is expected to yield around 850 lots. We will fast-track the development of this first stage of Johnston by making land available to a developer so they can connect it into the existing infrastructure along Lambrick Avenue and they will be able to prepare the land for sale as quickly as possible. I am hoping that those initial lots turning off in Johnston will be in 2009.
Zuccoli will follow Johnston, which is expected to yield around 1700 lots, and Mitchell will provide a further 400 lots. This is enough land being turned off for the marketplace to sustain it for the next five to seven years, depending on demand in the marketplace.
Like Bellamack, the development of these suburbs will include 15% affordable and social housing making home ownership more accessible to all Territorians. Palmerston East is a part of this government’s comprehensive, strategic release of land.
Royal Darwin Hospital – Nurse Staffing Crisis – Executive Director of Nursing
Mr CONLAN to MINISTER for HEALTH
When you put out your media release on 18 December saying the Territory health system is in good shape, two days after Mrs Winter died after a fall at Royal Darwin Hospital, did you know that the Executive Director of Nursing, Marie Hughes, was stood down after telling Health management that, in respect to the nursing shortages: ‘We’re putting patients at risk and in danger of catastrophes’?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I am not sure whether the member for Greatorex is quoting from the Coronial or whether he is adding some of his own interpretations to the Coronial ...
Mr Conlan: Madam Speaker, I have a copy here of the Saturday News Extra, Northern Territory News, 6 September. It says: ‘Ms Hughes told Mr Campos: “We’re putting patients at risk and in danger of catastrophes”. She then told the inquest he said she was being over-dramatic’.
Dr BURNS: Madam Speaker, that is not exactly the way that the question was asked by the member for Greatorex.
I want to stick to the Coronial. The Coroner has made very specific recommendations coming out of his findings and, yes, quite a number of his findings are very adverse for Mr Peter Campos. In fact …
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Dr BURNS: Madam Speaker, the Coroner has special powers. The Coroner has the resources, the skill and the expertise to mount very detailed examinations and investigations. The evidence is there in relation to these matters. As I have said previously, I accept the Coroner’s findings in their entirety …
Mr Elferink: The Coroner said you were …
Members interjecting.
Mr Elferink: He said you were …
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! The member for Port Darwin incessantly interrupts the minister.
Madam SPEAKER: There is no point of order. Opposition members, there have been a lot of interjections. You have asked the minister a very serious question, so allow him to answer the question.
Dr BURNS: Madam Speaker, where the opposition is going to - and they are not going to it directly - is the whole issue of responsibility ...
Members interjecting.
Dr BURNS: Exactly. I am prepared to go there directly instead of going around in circles, like the member for Greatorex. I will stick to what the Coroner said in his findings. If we turn to paragraph 49 of the Coroner’s findings ...
Ms CARNEY: A point of order, Madam Speaker! The member for Greatorex’s question was really quite specific. My colleague and everyone else would be very grateful if the minister would answer it. Was he aware, when he issued his media release on 18 September 2006, that Marie Hughes was stood down after telling Health management that, in respect of nursing shortages: ‘We were putting patients at risk and in danger of catastrophes’. Can the minister answer that question?
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Araluen, that is not a point of order. That is repeating the member’s question.
Dr BURNS: Madam Speaker, once again, the member for Araluen has repeated elements of the question which are not backed up by what the Coroner had to say ...
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Dr BURNS: The direct answer, Madam Speaker, is no.
Trainees and Apprentices –
Target Numbers Reached
Target Numbers Reached
Mr McCARTHY to MINISTER for EDUCATION and TRAINING
I believe that the government’s target of 10 000 new trainees and apprentices within four years has been reached. Can the member please provide the House with further details on this achievement?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Barkly for his question. In 2005, this government set a target of 10 000 commencements for apprentices and trainees over four years. We have reached that target inside the four year period. We are now committed to a further target of 10 000 commencements from 2009 so that we maintain that growth in apprenticeships and traineeships ...
Mr Mills: Is it true that half of them failed to complete?
Ms SCRYMGOUR: I know the Leader of the Opposition is really excited about this. He, like me, is totally committed to ensuring that we get these apprenticeships and traineeships up, because it is very important to skilling the Northern Territory. The last time I checked, the member for Barkly actually asked a very important question, particularly when we start looking at skilling our Northern Territory in some of the trade areas. Because we have big growth in our economy, we need to start getting some of those trade skills, such as carpentry, engineering, automotive, and electrical. We are seeing some 49% of Territorians taking up training in those areas. This percentage is one of the highest in Australia.
Over 23% of apprentices and trainees in traineeships are Indigenous, which is a fantastic number when you look at the overall numbers. More than a third of that number of current trainees and apprentices are women. We are proud of this achievement. However, it would not happen, and it just does not happen, by accident. To get all of this happening, government subsidises or puts a further commitment with employer and employee incentives – initiatives such as the Workwear/Workgear program, into which we have injected an additional $0.5m, which goes a long way to provide support for young Territorians when they are transitioning from school into work. This is just one example of what we are trying to do to attract new starters and increase completion rates.
The last time we went through the Estimates process, the Leader of the Opposition asked me that question. The department responded to the Leader of the Opposition that that is one area that we certainly do need to do a bit better in, in terms of completion rates. We have good commencement rates. It is a matter of ensuring that those completion rates are completed and we do get it. It is an issue, and we are continually working to ensure those young people stay in.
We have met the target of the last 10 000. We will meet this target of 10 000. We will ensure that the completion rates within those targets are met.
As government, we do not take aim and shoot. We have a very clear strategic plan; Jobs Plan 3 certainly covers that. We have boldly set ourselves targets. We have been courageous in our approach to ensure that we reach them.
Royal Darwin Hospital – Nurse Staffing Crisis
- Comments by Executive Director of Nursing
- Comments by Executive Director of Nursing
Mr CONLAN to MINISTER for HEALTH
When you put your release out on 30 January 2007, titled ‘NT Hospitals Better Resourced’, you said: ‘Not only is the Territory government providing better health services, but we’re ensuring we have the staff to deliver it’. Did you know that the then RDH Executive Director of Nursing, Professor Di Brown, in respect to nursing shortages to Health management, said in the inquest: ‘You realise your decisions are causing people to be harmed …?’ Did you know that, minister?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I was not aware of those comments that Professor Brown gave in evidence to the Coroner, no. However, in terms of my media release and the message that I had been given, and I will repeat it: this is a government that has invested very heavily in Royal Darwin Hospital since we came to power in 2001 ...
Mr Mills: You are missing the point, it is not about spending.
Dr BURNS: Well, it is about spending, because this is a government …
Mr Mills: It is about getting results.
Dr BURNS: Well, if we want to go back in history to when we came to power in 2001 …
Mr Elferink: This is a result. Do not talk about spending. That is a result.
Dr BURNS: ... the CLP had actually stripped 200 nurses out of the system from, I think it was 1997-98.
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! The member for Port Darwin is waving things around the Chamber. He is interjecting on the minister. The minister, quite legitimately, is responding to a question and the member for Port Darwin, quite deliberately, is trying to interject and interrupt him.
Mr ELFERINK: Speaking to the point of order, Madam Speaker. This is a discussion about spending and results. This is about results, and what I am asking him is: that is a result, what are you doing about it?
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Port Darwin, please resume your seat.
Honourable members, you would be aware that, in this Chamber, unless you are on your feet having had the call from the Speaker, you are not allowed to show banners or anything else, and it would include headlines as well. Showing things across the Chamber is out of order.
Minister, please continue.
Dr BURNS: Thank you, Madam Speaker, and I will resume where I left off. The annual report of the Health Department under the CLP clearly shows, between 1996-97 to 1998-99 …
Mr CONLAN: A point of order, Madam Speaker! We can keep dragging back to 2001 and previously. This is 2008, and we have a woman who is dead as a result of staff shortages at Royal Darwin Hospital. It is a shame that the minister is not actually going to take any responsibility for it.
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! The member for Greatorex well knows he is not making a legitimate point of order. He is simply grandstanding on what is a tragic circumstance.
Mr TOLLNER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! This goes to relevance. The question was asked in a particular way. The minister is not responding to the question at all.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Fong Lim, resume your seat. The minister has the call. There is no point of order.
Dr BURNS: What I am saying is, that the CLP stripped out over 200 nurses from the system. They did not return them, and it was still in that poor state when we came to power in 2001. I will repeat it: we have invested heavily in our staffing across the Territory: 433 extra nurses, 160 extra doctors, and significant extra resources to Royal Darwin Hospital. I can point to where those resources are. We opened Ward 3B, a ward that had been closed by the CLP and put into administration. We have opened up a 24-bed Rapid Admission Unit. We have added 100 beds into Royal Darwin Hospital since we came to power. That is results. We have added 160 extra nursing staff and 60 extra doctors into Royal Darwin Hospital.
My job as minister is to ensure the department is properly resourced to do the job they do. Successive ministers, including yourself and my predecessor, have worked hard to get those extra resources. It is the department’s responsibility to manage those resources ...
Mr CONLAN: A point of order, Madam Speaker! The Coroner notes that, in 2006 …
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Greatorex, resume your seat.
Mr CONLAN: … and 2007, that there was no additional money, minister – that is resourcing.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Greatorex, resume your seat. The minister has already sat down.
Heart Health Plan
Ms WALKER to MINISTER for HEALTH
Can you update the House on the commitment to develop a 10 -year Heart Health Plan?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, during the election campaign, the government made a commitment to deliver a $45m 10-year Heart Health Plan. This follows on from the blueprint developed by Professor Phillip Harris, one of Australia’s eminent cardiologists, and Professor Michael Frommer. In their report, they talked about developing cardiac services in the Northern Territory from 2006 to 2015.
There has already been some development since 2006, and this is the next step in government’s plan in improving heart health within the Northern Territory. The plan will first expand early intervention and prevention services ...
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order, Madam Speaker! The minister has already said that he is only interested in delivering resources to the Health department. Now he is making a policy announcement and he is doing exactly the sort of thing that he said was not his job.
Madam SPEAKER: There is no point of order. Minister, please continue.
Dr BURNS: Madam Speaker, I will repeat: the plan will first expand early intervention and prevention services, as well as cardiac rehabilitation. By investing in primary health care with people in the early stages of cardiac disease, it will keep people healthier and reduce the level of more serious cardiac disease requiring surgery. We will provide cardiac stress testing machines at all regional hospitals to provide for the early detection of heart disease. Rehabilitation services will also be expanded to improve people’s recovery from heart attack, keep them healthy and get them back to work quicker if they are workers.
Specialist equipment will be upgraded at Royal Darwin and Alice Springs Hospitals. In addition, very significantly, we are planning to deliver specialist cardiac surgery services. This is a major commitment to deliver a highly specialised and complex service for the Territory. We will upgrade cardiac catheter facilities and develop the capacity for cardiothoracic surgery.
This is a very exciting plan. There is $45m behind it and it is over 10 years. I commend this to the House.
Mr TOLLNER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Could the minister table the document he was reading from?
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker. The minister is not speaking from a document. He is referring to his own notes. The member for Fong Lim may be confused as to where he is.
Madam SPEAKER: Minister, is the document you have personal notes or is it a document that you are willing to table?
Dr BURNS: Madam Speaker, I have no problem at all in tabling this document. It is personal notes for this particular question.
Madam SPEAKER: Bearing in mind that …
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker!
Madam SPEAKER: It is up to the minister, Leader of Government Business. Minister, I am asking you, are those personal notes?
Dr BURNS: They are personal notes, Madam Speaker, and they have personal annotations on them.
Madam SPEAKER: If they have personal annotations, it is not necessary for you to table them unless you wish to.
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! This is a circus across the opposition.
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Ms LAWRIE: There is well established practice in this Chamber, that if a minister is speaking from notes that have personal annotations on them, they do not table.
Madam SPEAKER: I am very aware of that, thank you.
A member: So he is wrong?
Madam SPEAKER: Order, order!
Minister, are you willing to table the documents? You do not have to. I am asking you if you are willing to table them?
Dr BURNS: No, Madam Speaker. They have my personal notes on them.
Madam SPEAKER: Thank you, that is what I have been trying to ascertain.
Royal Darwin Hospital - Nurse Staffing Crisis
Mr CONLAN to MINISTER for HEALTH
In the words of the Coroner, you sit at the top of the tree in respect of responsibility for the operation of the Department of Health, as illustrated in this chart from the Department of Health and Community Services Annual Report 2006-07. Do you accept responsibility for the nurse staffing crisis at Royal Darwin Hospital at the time of Mrs Winter’s death?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, it is important now that we have arrived at this very question about responsibility and the comments by the Coroner. Let us turn to what the Coroner actually had to say in relation to this particular matter, and let us lay it on the record within this parliament. I quote from paragraph 49 of the Coroner’s findings in the report:
- The administrative tree for Acute Health in 2006 at the departmental level was (from the top down) the Minister, the CEO (Mr Robert Griew) and then the Assistant Secretary Acute Health (Mr Peter Campos). One step down, at the Royal Darwin Hospital level, was the General Manager (Mr Robin Michael).
The next sentence is absolutely crucial to this whole issue, and I will read it out. It says:
- In early 2006, the CEO of the Department of Health withdrew the delegation to appoint Royal Darwin Hospital staff from the General Manager and gave it to the Assistant Secretary, that is to Mr Campos. This was instituted because the Department wanted staffing levels contained for budgetary reasons. The delegations were reinstated in 2006.
Madam Speaker, the Coroner clearly identifies who has responsibility for directing the removal of delegations ...
- Members interjecting.
- Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order, order!
Dr BURNS: That is not the case, and it could not be the case because, if members opposite understood the Public Sector Employment and Management Act, they would understand that it is within the purview of the CEO and his delegates to remove delegations, to reinstate delegations. It is not the purview of the minister. I state again: if I had given a direction for the removal of those delegations, which the Coroner found were a crucial part in the preventable death of Mrs Winter, I would be responsible and I would resign.
Workforce Growth Unit –
Addressing Skills Shortage
Addressing Skills Shortage
Mr GUNNER to MINISTER for BUSINESS and EMPLOYMENT
Our government is supporting business and we have done everything possible to attract workers to the Territory. In fact, members of my department went to Adelaide in March 2008 following the announcement of the closure of Mitsubishi Motors, and promoted the Territory as a place to find a job. We had a number of Mitsubishi workers come to the Territory. We followed that with further trips to Newcastle and Adelaide in 2008. We had 270 workers attend the job expo in Newcastle, and 400 attended in Adelaide. I am advised that 255 businesses in the Territory have found workers from there.
Also, today, my departmental people are in Melbourne to promote the Territory as a place to work following the announcement by Ford Australia about forthcoming redundancies at Geelong and Broadmeadows.
Our target is to train Territorians. Our target is to employ Australians. However, it is quite difficult and we have gone beyond Australia trying to attract workers. We now have people in Cape Town, South Africa, where approximately 3000 people attended our job expo. We are following up with trips to Cape Town, where we expect 8000 registrations, and then to Ireland, the United Kingdom, and Germany. I am pleased to say that I received news from South Africa that we have had a significant number of highly-qualified people, such as nurses, physiotherapists, doctors, and radiographers, also electricians and motor and diesel mechanics, who have registered with our kiosk. They have provided their CVs which have been scanned and are stored in the department’s webpage to be provided to businesses in the Northern Territory. There is a significant exodus of people trying to get out of South Africa, and they believe they can get a job in the Territory. Some of the comments I have heard from people coming to the Territory is that they like the Territory because the climate is the same as in Africa, with the same language and the same culture - I am very pleased about that.
We are establishing a new unit in my department, the Workforce Growth Unit. That unit will have a budget of $350 000 a year and will have three positions – one in Darwin, one in Katherine, and one in Alice Springs. The focus of this unit is a flying squad, flying around Australia to places where we know there are going to be forthcoming redundancies, to promote the Territory as a place to work. We had success in the past, and we will promote the Territory more to try to attract more workers to the Territory.
I recall well the time when there were plenty of vacancies in the Territory. Unfortunately, there were not many jobs then. It was 2001, just at the end of the reign of the CLP.
Royal Darwin Hospital - Nurse Staffing Crisis
Mr CONLAN to MINISTER for HEALTH
You stood before this parliament and claimed you knew nothing about the nurse staffing crisis at Royal Darwin Hospital that led to the death of Mrs Winter and, it is not your responsibility. Minister, you are either a liar or you are incompetent. Will you resign as Health Minister?
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker!
Madam SPEAKER: Yes, there is a point of order. I ask the member for Greatorex to withdraw those comments.
SUSPENSION OF STANDING ORDERS
Proposed Censure of the
Minister for Health
Proposed Censure of the
Minister for Health
Mr CONLAN (Greatorex): Madam Speaker, I move that so much of standing orders be suspended as would prevent this House from censuring the Minister for Health for his gross incompetence and mismanagement of the Territory …
Ms LAWRIE: Madam Speaker, we will accept the proposed censure motion.
Madam SPEAKER: The government has indicated it will take the censure motion.
Mr CONLAN: All right. … for his gross incompetence and mismanagement of the Territory’s health system.
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! We have indicated we will take the censure motion. I take it we are now moving directly to the censure motion; therefore, Question Time has ended. I ask that further questions be placed on the Written Question Paper.
Ms Carney: Oh, so you do not want the censure motion recorded by the cameras.
Mr Elferink: So, we switch the cameras off now, do we?
Madam SPEAKER: The cameras go. It is part of our standing orders. Members of the media, please stop the filming at this point.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016