Mr BARRETT - 2015-04-28
In addition to the commitment of funds for the Palmerston Regional Hospital, which I am excited about, you announced that Budget 2015-16 will deliver $40m in upgrades to the Royal Darwin Hospital, which I am sure the member for Casuarina is stoked about. Can you please provide further details about this fantastic initiative?
ANSWER
Mr Deputy Speaker, I thank the member for Blain for his question. There is a guy who knows how to read a budget book. In fact, I think he has a degree in economics.
I am proud to say, yes, there is already the initial $25m to start work on the Palmerston hospital. Construction of that is starting to look very close indeed and I will keep members posted.
The Royal Darwin Hospital was constructed before self-government. It is an old hospital and it needs more than just a lick of paint. The Northern Territory News said it was cosmetic surgery. It is much more like a knee reconstruction; it goes all the way to the bone. We will see improved services in the courtyards, foyers and what happens when you walk into the front door, and improved services in the A&E area. It will have a green section for people to go to, and I encourage people to look at the plans when we release them. The budget will also see $4m in addition to the $11.9m of Commonwealth funding to refurbish the paediatric ward and a bunch of other things. We are very proud of that $40m.
I wonder if the members opposite will agree to condemn the words of the Senator for the Northern Territory, Nova Peris, who in the Senate said we have the worst hospital system in the Northern Territory. That outrageous slur on the good staff and hard-working people throughout our hospital system cut deep.
There has not been a noise, peep, or single utterance in the defence of the doctors, nurses and administrators who work in our hospital system. They could not crawl quickly enough onto the bandwagon to criticise our hospital system.
Recently, the AMA released a report and benchmarked the hospital system, and there were some critical numbers and comments about elective surgery waiting times. What they neglected to point out was that the AMA, on page 11 of its report, said we had the second-best hospital system in the country, which is a testament to the quality of the people we have in the face of the difficult patient mixes in our hospital system. Do I hear congratulations? No. The Northern Territory branch of the Australian Labor Party, through their Senator, says we have the worst hospital system in the country. I disagree. I agree with the AMA and I am proud of the staff and people who work in our hospitals.
ANSWER
Mr Deputy Speaker, I thank the member for Blain for his question. There is a guy who knows how to read a budget book. In fact, I think he has a degree in economics.
I am proud to say, yes, there is already the initial $25m to start work on the Palmerston hospital. Construction of that is starting to look very close indeed and I will keep members posted.
The Royal Darwin Hospital was constructed before self-government. It is an old hospital and it needs more than just a lick of paint. The Northern Territory News said it was cosmetic surgery. It is much more like a knee reconstruction; it goes all the way to the bone. We will see improved services in the courtyards, foyers and what happens when you walk into the front door, and improved services in the A&E area. It will have a green section for people to go to, and I encourage people to look at the plans when we release them. The budget will also see $4m in addition to the $11.9m of Commonwealth funding to refurbish the paediatric ward and a bunch of other things. We are very proud of that $40m.
I wonder if the members opposite will agree to condemn the words of the Senator for the Northern Territory, Nova Peris, who in the Senate said we have the worst hospital system in the Northern Territory. That outrageous slur on the good staff and hard-working people throughout our hospital system cut deep.
There has not been a noise, peep, or single utterance in the defence of the doctors, nurses and administrators who work in our hospital system. They could not crawl quickly enough onto the bandwagon to criticise our hospital system.
Recently, the AMA released a report and benchmarked the hospital system, and there were some critical numbers and comments about elective surgery waiting times. What they neglected to point out was that the AMA, on page 11 of its report, said we had the second-best hospital system in the country, which is a testament to the quality of the people we have in the face of the difficult patient mixes in our hospital system. Do I hear congratulations? No. The Northern Territory branch of the Australian Labor Party, through their Senator, says we have the worst hospital system in the country. I disagree. I agree with the AMA and I am proud of the staff and people who work in our hospitals.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016