Mr MILLS - 2001-06-06
The CLP government has continued to deliver on its commitments, and it is now just over a month since the Palmerston Health Precinct, offering a 24-hour clinic, has been opened. Despite a concerted effort by members opposite to denigrate this project, could the minister please give an indication of just what services are being provided at this precinct?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, it is a good question. I know the member for Blain has been vitally interested in this project, and I know that he has visited the precinct on a couple of occasions. He has even made arrangements during this week to make yet another visit. I think it is probably a good idea that he has visited on a number of occasions because the changes out there have been quite remarkable.
I have been in the business of looking at projects develop over a number of years, and I don’t think I have ever seen anything that has moved as fast as this. It was designed, it was constructed, we had to put in head works, we had to move major arterial trunks from the site, and we had to re-route the bus service to make sure people could get there. We had some issues relating to pedestrian crossings, we had all the infrastructure to go in, both human and high-tech, and that has largely occurred. The site now has St John Ambulance on-site, which is co-located and we think that this is a model we can look at developing further, so that our after hours service can give some comfort to residents of Palmerston that they can go to a facility and know that not only is there a doctor on-site, but there is the capacity for fast transport into Royal Darwin if that is needed.
Our community care centre has been there and is seeing some thousands of people. The GP service has been set up and seen hundreds of people. The specialties that are out there, and they are listed in today’s paper, are also seeing hundreds of people. These are people where the specialists have gone through their lists, obviously, and said, ‘This particular person is in Palmerston; I can see them close to their home town’. We have always known that that critical mass was there, and we know it will grow, because Palmerston is a place with many young people, many young mothers and fathers with babies, and to have a facility that has such a capacity is a great thing for the growing city of Palmerston.
The opposition have been very churlish about this. They have in the first place claimed that there was no money allocated, and that is well and truly evident on the record for everybody to see. The second allegation they made was that we had just had bulldozers on-site just pushing pieces of dirt around to trick and hoodwink people that we were going to go to an election and there would just be a little bit of a moving of some mounds of dirt.
The third allegation was that we were not being quick enough when they saw the slabs going in and the building going up, and they thought, ‘Oh, gee, we had better get on this thing’. So allegation number three was that we were not moving quick enough.
Allegation No 4 - and the member for Wanguri tried a couple of theatrics. He invited the media out there for a press conference, which I think was attended by nil. So nobody went to that one. But he also got one of his ALP stooges to walk in to the counter and say, ‘I want to see a doctor’, and they said, ‘Well, he’s not here yet, but that will happen soon’. ‘I want to see a specialist, I want to see an ophthalmologist’. And when it became evident that this man might have had an underlying problem and he might have needed to see a psychiatrist or something, they did ask him about what exactly he wanted. What he wanted was to be able to go back to his mates in the Labor Party and say, ‘Huh, no doctor!’.
Members interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! The minister has the floor.
Mr DUNHAM: He has tried on a number of occasions to denigrate this very, very worthy project. Now, if he takes the same amount of interest, as not only the Chief Minister but also the member for Blain and myself, and other members of this House, he will be able to see that this is a pretty good initiative. He might even be able to put on the Parliamentary Record that this is a great idea.
The other thing that probably upsets him is again the P word; we have private providers in there.
Members interjecting.
Mr DUNHAM: We think ...
Members interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order, order! The Chief Minister and the member for Nhulunbuy, order!
Mr DUNHAM: We think a lot of collaborative work can be done between the public and private sectors and we pursue that. In fact, the new purchase of provider model of Territory Health Services loosely compels it; that we look to whether things should be done from within or without. We do not have any problem with engagement with the private sector. Interestingly, when the concept of the Palmerston Health Precinct was first mooted we would have liked the private sector to have done the lot, but there was some feeling that this was a government policy and it would never happen, and that is partly because of our mates over here, poisoning the well if you like, and saying it is all a big stunt.
As tangible proof of our bona fides, we have built this thing and we have completed it and staffed it, and we have invited the private sector into it. They are now very, very interested, and I think over the next 10 years or so, we will see a continuing development out there. We already have St John Ambulance, not only on-site, but looking to develop adjunct services on the campus. We also have Terrace Gardens, which is the former Chan Park, well under way. For those members opposite who never get down there, I suggest they go and have a little drive around and just see what is going to happen down there with our nursing home. A very fine state-of-the-art nursing home, contributed in large - notwithstanding it is a Commonwealth policy - by us. I suggest that members opposite take the same level of enthusiasm as the member for Blain and have a good look at this thing and maybe even give some grudging praise.
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, it is a good question. I know the member for Blain has been vitally interested in this project, and I know that he has visited the precinct on a couple of occasions. He has even made arrangements during this week to make yet another visit. I think it is probably a good idea that he has visited on a number of occasions because the changes out there have been quite remarkable.
I have been in the business of looking at projects develop over a number of years, and I don’t think I have ever seen anything that has moved as fast as this. It was designed, it was constructed, we had to put in head works, we had to move major arterial trunks from the site, and we had to re-route the bus service to make sure people could get there. We had some issues relating to pedestrian crossings, we had all the infrastructure to go in, both human and high-tech, and that has largely occurred. The site now has St John Ambulance on-site, which is co-located and we think that this is a model we can look at developing further, so that our after hours service can give some comfort to residents of Palmerston that they can go to a facility and know that not only is there a doctor on-site, but there is the capacity for fast transport into Royal Darwin if that is needed.
Our community care centre has been there and is seeing some thousands of people. The GP service has been set up and seen hundreds of people. The specialties that are out there, and they are listed in today’s paper, are also seeing hundreds of people. These are people where the specialists have gone through their lists, obviously, and said, ‘This particular person is in Palmerston; I can see them close to their home town’. We have always known that that critical mass was there, and we know it will grow, because Palmerston is a place with many young people, many young mothers and fathers with babies, and to have a facility that has such a capacity is a great thing for the growing city of Palmerston.
The opposition have been very churlish about this. They have in the first place claimed that there was no money allocated, and that is well and truly evident on the record for everybody to see. The second allegation they made was that we had just had bulldozers on-site just pushing pieces of dirt around to trick and hoodwink people that we were going to go to an election and there would just be a little bit of a moving of some mounds of dirt.
The third allegation was that we were not being quick enough when they saw the slabs going in and the building going up, and they thought, ‘Oh, gee, we had better get on this thing’. So allegation number three was that we were not moving quick enough.
Allegation No 4 - and the member for Wanguri tried a couple of theatrics. He invited the media out there for a press conference, which I think was attended by nil. So nobody went to that one. But he also got one of his ALP stooges to walk in to the counter and say, ‘I want to see a doctor’, and they said, ‘Well, he’s not here yet, but that will happen soon’. ‘I want to see a specialist, I want to see an ophthalmologist’. And when it became evident that this man might have had an underlying problem and he might have needed to see a psychiatrist or something, they did ask him about what exactly he wanted. What he wanted was to be able to go back to his mates in the Labor Party and say, ‘Huh, no doctor!’.
Members interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! The minister has the floor.
Mr DUNHAM: He has tried on a number of occasions to denigrate this very, very worthy project. Now, if he takes the same amount of interest, as not only the Chief Minister but also the member for Blain and myself, and other members of this House, he will be able to see that this is a pretty good initiative. He might even be able to put on the Parliamentary Record that this is a great idea.
The other thing that probably upsets him is again the P word; we have private providers in there.
Members interjecting.
Mr DUNHAM: We think ...
Members interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order, order! The Chief Minister and the member for Nhulunbuy, order!
Mr DUNHAM: We think a lot of collaborative work can be done between the public and private sectors and we pursue that. In fact, the new purchase of provider model of Territory Health Services loosely compels it; that we look to whether things should be done from within or without. We do not have any problem with engagement with the private sector. Interestingly, when the concept of the Palmerston Health Precinct was first mooted we would have liked the private sector to have done the lot, but there was some feeling that this was a government policy and it would never happen, and that is partly because of our mates over here, poisoning the well if you like, and saying it is all a big stunt.
As tangible proof of our bona fides, we have built this thing and we have completed it and staffed it, and we have invited the private sector into it. They are now very, very interested, and I think over the next 10 years or so, we will see a continuing development out there. We already have St John Ambulance, not only on-site, but looking to develop adjunct services on the campus. We also have Terrace Gardens, which is the former Chan Park, well under way. For those members opposite who never get down there, I suggest they go and have a little drive around and just see what is going to happen down there with our nursing home. A very fine state-of-the-art nursing home, contributed in large - notwithstanding it is a Commonwealth policy - by us. I suggest that members opposite take the same level of enthusiasm as the member for Blain and have a good look at this thing and maybe even give some grudging praise.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016