Mr KURRUPUWU - 2012-11-28
Can the minister please explain the concept of a medi-hotel and how it operates?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Arafura. It is a good question, member for Arafura, because many people do not understand what a medi-hotel is. Let me explain to you exactly what a medi-hotel is.
A medi-hotel is accommodation for people accessing health and hospital services from outside of town. It is for people still requiring some medical care who are not sick enough to be in hospital. It is also a hotel for long-grassers without a home, and for relatives and escorts of people in hospital. It all sounds quite wonderful.
The concept of a medi-hotel is a great idea. It should house as many patients as possible. It should house as many of their relatives as possible. It should house as many long-grassers as possible. It is something that we all want to do.
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Opposition Leader!
Mr TOLLNER: The former government actually had one built by the Commonwealth. They stuck their hand out and accepted their $18.6m for the medi-hotel at Royal Darwin Hospital. It has been constructed. The only problem we find now we are in government is that there is no money to run this medi-hotel. The former government said they would just pull it out of the normal day-to-day expenses of the Health department. The problem, of course, is the Health department has always been deficit-funded; there has never been money in the bank to run a medi-hotel.
Some tough decisions are being made about what to do with that medi-hotel at Royal Darwin Hospital. However, there is more. They put in for …
Ms Lee: Do not point your finger at me! Talk about your own electorate!
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Arnhem.
Ms Lee interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Arnhem, you are on a warning. Members may I remind you of Standing Order 51.
Minister, you have the call.
Mr TOLLNER: And this is not the only one, the former government committed to a medi-hotel of 24 beds at Katherine hospital, a medi-hotel at Gove hospital, and we currently have the federal member for Lingiari, the Indigenous health minister, trying to push on us medi-hotels for Tennant Creek and Alice Springs, all with no operational money. The previous Labor government never cared about where the money was coming from.
There is evidence in all the stuff Treasury is digging up now. What a shame you all are.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Arafura. It is a good question, member for Arafura, because many people do not understand what a medi-hotel is. Let me explain to you exactly what a medi-hotel is.
A medi-hotel is accommodation for people accessing health and hospital services from outside of town. It is for people still requiring some medical care who are not sick enough to be in hospital. It is also a hotel for long-grassers without a home, and for relatives and escorts of people in hospital. It all sounds quite wonderful.
The concept of a medi-hotel is a great idea. It should house as many patients as possible. It should house as many of their relatives as possible. It should house as many long-grassers as possible. It is something that we all want to do.
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Opposition Leader!
Mr TOLLNER: The former government actually had one built by the Commonwealth. They stuck their hand out and accepted their $18.6m for the medi-hotel at Royal Darwin Hospital. It has been constructed. The only problem we find now we are in government is that there is no money to run this medi-hotel. The former government said they would just pull it out of the normal day-to-day expenses of the Health department. The problem, of course, is the Health department has always been deficit-funded; there has never been money in the bank to run a medi-hotel.
Some tough decisions are being made about what to do with that medi-hotel at Royal Darwin Hospital. However, there is more. They put in for …
Ms Lee: Do not point your finger at me! Talk about your own electorate!
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Arnhem.
Ms Lee interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Arnhem, you are on a warning. Members may I remind you of Standing Order 51.
- No member may converse aloud or make any noise or disturbance which in the opinion of the Speaker is designed to interrupt or has the effect of interrupting a member speaking.
Minister, you have the call.
Mr TOLLNER: And this is not the only one, the former government committed to a medi-hotel of 24 beds at Katherine hospital, a medi-hotel at Gove hospital, and we currently have the federal member for Lingiari, the Indigenous health minister, trying to push on us medi-hotels for Tennant Creek and Alice Springs, all with no operational money. The previous Labor government never cared about where the money was coming from.
There is evidence in all the stuff Treasury is digging up now. What a shame you all are.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016