Mr CONLAN - 2011-10-20
Yesterday in this House, the government introduced a motion relating to health issues. It completely backfired and blew up in your face. The Country Liberals changed that motion in support of enhancing bulkbilling services. That blew up in your face, you know it, Hendo, you walked in here and you walked out with your tail between your legs. That support for …
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr CONLAN: … bulkbilling incentives was introduced by the Country Liberals. It received the support of this House. How do you justify issuing a media release claiming that the Country Liberals do not support bulkbilling in the Northern Territory? Now, something novel. Here is a novel concept: why do you not simply tell Territorians the truth?
Madam SPEAKER: I have to say, member for Greatorex, that the question is not really in order. It does not fit the normal guidelines of questions.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I will tell Territorians the truth: that man who pretends to be the shadow minister for Health knows nothing about health. He talks about incentive, but if he had bothered to look there are incentives in place. Yes, there are, introduced by the federal government last year. For example, if a doctor decides to go to Yuendumu from a Category 1 city, he will get $120 000 over two years. If a doctor decides to go from a Category 1 city to Darwin, he would get $30 000 over two years. There are incentives in place. The problem is that there are not enough doctors thanks to Abbott being the minister for Health and cutting positions in universities …
Members interjecting.
Mr TOLLNER: A point of order, Madam Speaker!
Madam SPEAKER: Minister, I remind you that you need to refer to Mr Abbott as the federal Leader of the Opposition.
Mr TOLLNER: Madam Speaker, I ask you to request the minister to stop misleading the House. He constantly runs this line. It is a load of nonsense and he knows it. He has been pulled up by the shadow Health minister already for misleading the public about actions that occurred here yesterday. Pull him into line.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Fong Lim, that is not a point of order.
Mr VATSKALIS: Madam Speaker, because there are not enough doctors, we attract internationally-trained doctors …
Mr Tollner: You are a compulsive liar!
Mr Conlan interjecting.
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Both the members for Greatorex and Fong Lim have made an accusation which is, as they know, unparliamentary.
Madam SPEAKER: Unfortunately I was unable to hear what happened then. Member for Greatorex, I remind you that you are on a warning, thank you. Minister, can you keep to the point please?
Mr VATSKALIS: Madam Speaker, most of the doctors who come to Darwin are internationally-trained doctors. None are eligible for that subsidy. Out of the 13 doctors who came to Darwin since July 2010, only two were eligible to receive the subsidy. As for attracting doctors to the Territory, since we opened the Palmerston Super Clinic, we have attracted four new doctors to Darwin, taking the number of doctors in the super clinic to 11 …
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order, Madam Speaker! The question was very specific about him issuing a dishonest media release and why he did so. We are not asking peripheral issues, and we ask that he answer the question.
Madam SPEAKER: It is not a point of order.
Mr VATSKALIS: Thank you, Madam Speaker. The truth hurts, because it was the Leader of the Opposition, when he was the minister for Health, who cut the positions in universities so we do not have enough doctors. The incentives are already in place, but they do not seem to work because there are not enough doctors to go around. When we opened the super clinic in Palmerston, we attracted new doctors to Darwin …
Mr TOLLNER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Relevance. The question was about the motion passed yesterday and why the minister will not tell the truth. Make him answer the question.
Madam SPEAKER: Minister, have you finished your question?
Mr VATSKALIS: Madam Speaker, with the interruptions …
Madam SPEAKER: Come to the point. No, your time has expired.
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr CONLAN: … bulkbilling incentives was introduced by the Country Liberals. It received the support of this House. How do you justify issuing a media release claiming that the Country Liberals do not support bulkbilling in the Northern Territory? Now, something novel. Here is a novel concept: why do you not simply tell Territorians the truth?
Madam SPEAKER: I have to say, member for Greatorex, that the question is not really in order. It does not fit the normal guidelines of questions.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I will tell Territorians the truth: that man who pretends to be the shadow minister for Health knows nothing about health. He talks about incentive, but if he had bothered to look there are incentives in place. Yes, there are, introduced by the federal government last year. For example, if a doctor decides to go to Yuendumu from a Category 1 city, he will get $120 000 over two years. If a doctor decides to go from a Category 1 city to Darwin, he would get $30 000 over two years. There are incentives in place. The problem is that there are not enough doctors thanks to Abbott being the minister for Health and cutting positions in universities …
Members interjecting.
Mr TOLLNER: A point of order, Madam Speaker!
Madam SPEAKER: Minister, I remind you that you need to refer to Mr Abbott as the federal Leader of the Opposition.
Mr TOLLNER: Madam Speaker, I ask you to request the minister to stop misleading the House. He constantly runs this line. It is a load of nonsense and he knows it. He has been pulled up by the shadow Health minister already for misleading the public about actions that occurred here yesterday. Pull him into line.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Fong Lim, that is not a point of order.
Mr VATSKALIS: Madam Speaker, because there are not enough doctors, we attract internationally-trained doctors …
Mr Tollner: You are a compulsive liar!
Mr Conlan interjecting.
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Both the members for Greatorex and Fong Lim have made an accusation which is, as they know, unparliamentary.
Madam SPEAKER: Unfortunately I was unable to hear what happened then. Member for Greatorex, I remind you that you are on a warning, thank you. Minister, can you keep to the point please?
Mr VATSKALIS: Madam Speaker, most of the doctors who come to Darwin are internationally-trained doctors. None are eligible for that subsidy. Out of the 13 doctors who came to Darwin since July 2010, only two were eligible to receive the subsidy. As for attracting doctors to the Territory, since we opened the Palmerston Super Clinic, we have attracted four new doctors to Darwin, taking the number of doctors in the super clinic to 11 …
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order, Madam Speaker! The question was very specific about him issuing a dishonest media release and why he did so. We are not asking peripheral issues, and we ask that he answer the question.
Madam SPEAKER: It is not a point of order.
Mr VATSKALIS: Thank you, Madam Speaker. The truth hurts, because it was the Leader of the Opposition, when he was the minister for Health, who cut the positions in universities so we do not have enough doctors. The incentives are already in place, but they do not seem to work because there are not enough doctors to go around. When we opened the super clinic in Palmerston, we attracted new doctors to Darwin …
Mr TOLLNER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Relevance. The question was about the motion passed yesterday and why the minister will not tell the truth. Make him answer the question.
Madam SPEAKER: Minister, have you finished your question?
Mr VATSKALIS: Madam Speaker, with the interruptions …
Madam SPEAKER: Come to the point. No, your time has expired.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016