Ms MARTIN - 1999-02-18
Will the minister tell Territorians, despite the fact he keeps pointing to interstate examples to back up his case, that no other health system in Australia intends to privatise the management of all of its public hospitals? Every other government in Australia, even the privatising-mad Kennett government in Victoria, accepts the fundamental role of the public hospitals and the health system. Why does the Country Liberal Party want to put our health system at risk to pursue an ideological nightmare?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, I am glad that the Leader of the Opposition has chosen her words carefully, because in the past, both in the media and in Hansard, she has been talking about the privatisation of hospitals. I am glad she has finally twigged to the notion that we’re talking about privatising management.
If you are mounting the case that the Territory should not look at any options or that it should look only at specific options, I don’t agree with that. Because if we throw the bids open to people and talk to people who manage more beds than us, more hospitals than us, serve bigger catchments than us, we might get some good feedback. Those bids have yet to close. We don’t know how the bidders will configure their options, but to mount a case that we shouldn’t be looking on some philosophical basis is bizarre nonsense. Of course, the Territory should look and seek advice. In doing so, we are doing what the previous minister called an obligation-free quote. Essentially, they’ll put bids to us that we may choose to take up, or we may choose not to.
In the event that we do choose to pursue these options, I’ll be informing this House and the Leader of the Opposition and obviously other affected players. But, at this stage, we are merely asking for expressions of interest, and we are confident that those people who provide expressions of interest will be able to demonstrate the bona fides of their capacity in the health arena.
Ms MARTIN: The specifics of my questions, which the minister didn’t tackle, was why aren’t you being honest when you refer to examples interstate, when you say other public hospitals have been privatised or have private management, but nobody else is talking about putting private management in or privatising every single public hospital in that state. That is what you are not being honest about, so will you explain?
Mr DUNHAM: I’m happy to explain, Mr Speaker, because this is an issue that should be widely canvassed. It is quite appropriate that people ask questions when they are confused, like the Leader of the Opposition. The issue that we have in the Territory is that we do have unique circumstances. Our approach to primary health is unique in Australia. Our approach to indigenous health is unique in Australia. Our approach to private medicine is unique in Australia. And while we may be able to borrow experience from other jurisdictions, there is no doubt that at the end of the day the solutions for the Territory may differ from those that apply elsewhere. It may well be that the catchment that Cabinet finally decides on encompasses all the hospitals, none of the hospitals, or some of the hospitals. These are matters that are still to be determined by Cabinet, and we will only be determining them on the basis that the beneficiary of the whole process is the people we are here to serve - Territorians.
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, I am glad that the Leader of the Opposition has chosen her words carefully, because in the past, both in the media and in Hansard, she has been talking about the privatisation of hospitals. I am glad she has finally twigged to the notion that we’re talking about privatising management.
If you are mounting the case that the Territory should not look at any options or that it should look only at specific options, I don’t agree with that. Because if we throw the bids open to people and talk to people who manage more beds than us, more hospitals than us, serve bigger catchments than us, we might get some good feedback. Those bids have yet to close. We don’t know how the bidders will configure their options, but to mount a case that we shouldn’t be looking on some philosophical basis is bizarre nonsense. Of course, the Territory should look and seek advice. In doing so, we are doing what the previous minister called an obligation-free quote. Essentially, they’ll put bids to us that we may choose to take up, or we may choose not to.
In the event that we do choose to pursue these options, I’ll be informing this House and the Leader of the Opposition and obviously other affected players. But, at this stage, we are merely asking for expressions of interest, and we are confident that those people who provide expressions of interest will be able to demonstrate the bona fides of their capacity in the health arena.
Ms MARTIN: The specifics of my questions, which the minister didn’t tackle, was why aren’t you being honest when you refer to examples interstate, when you say other public hospitals have been privatised or have private management, but nobody else is talking about putting private management in or privatising every single public hospital in that state. That is what you are not being honest about, so will you explain?
Mr DUNHAM: I’m happy to explain, Mr Speaker, because this is an issue that should be widely canvassed. It is quite appropriate that people ask questions when they are confused, like the Leader of the Opposition. The issue that we have in the Territory is that we do have unique circumstances. Our approach to primary health is unique in Australia. Our approach to indigenous health is unique in Australia. Our approach to private medicine is unique in Australia. And while we may be able to borrow experience from other jurisdictions, there is no doubt that at the end of the day the solutions for the Territory may differ from those that apply elsewhere. It may well be that the catchment that Cabinet finally decides on encompasses all the hospitals, none of the hospitals, or some of the hospitals. These are matters that are still to be determined by Cabinet, and we will only be determining them on the basis that the beneficiary of the whole process is the people we are here to serve - Territorians.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016