Mr CONLAN - 2009-10-15
Yesterday, you slammed the AMA’s hospital report card because you claimed the statistics were outdated. You also slammed the report again today, I might add. Putting all that aside, minister, your own favoured Labor Prime Minister, the Honourable Kevin Rudd, has backed this report. He has backed the report from the AMA, the one that the minister here today disputes, and has fallen short of calling the members liars. Will you be able to table evidence to disprove the findings from this report by the AMA and demonstrate that Territory hospitals are not suffering terminal decline under the Northern Territory Labor government?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I questioned the report, questioned the accuracy of some of the …
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr VATSKALIS: I am happy to look at the Hansard, to see whether I slammed the report, or called them a bunch of liars. I did not say that. I am quite within my rights as a representative of the Northern Territory to question the AMA report, as I do with every other report ...
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr VATSKALIS: How can I possibly believe a report that says we closed the Gove maternity ward when we have not? How can I …
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr VATSKALIS: I know you are not smart enough: suspended and closed are two different things.
One thing for sure is, when they get the number of the beds we have in the Territory wrong, and then come back and claim that the number has declined, when we have not, we increased it, of course I am going to question that report. Am I going to question the criticism about the waiting lists? No I am not. I have said, many times, it has been reported in the NT News, that we have a big waiting list, and the result of that is because we have a number of …
Mr CONLAN: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Just to save the minister further embarrassment, he said that he did not dispute the report, when he clearly did. In fact, he did say it yesterday, it is written in Hansard that he said it was not the …
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Greatorex, there is no point of order. Resume your seat.
Mr Conlan: I think the minister is misleading the House, clearly.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Greatorex, I ask you to withdraw that last comment, please.
Mr Conlan: Which one, Madam Speaker?
Madam SPEAKER: You know that you are not allowed to make comments which can only be made under substantive motion.
Mr Conlan: I withdraw that, Madam Speaker.
Madam SPEAKER: Thank you. Resume your seat. Minister, you have the call. Minister, could you please come to the point very quickly.
Mr VATSKALIS: The reality is, I do not dispute evidence in the report, and secondly, I was here yesterday, and I said it is not going to be fixed in one day, or even six months, and that is exactly what the Prime Minister said yesterday. You cannot fix the health system if you cut funding here, if you cut funding there, if you are using bandaid solutions - which is what the Howard government did.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I questioned the report, questioned the accuracy of some of the …
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr VATSKALIS: I am happy to look at the Hansard, to see whether I slammed the report, or called them a bunch of liars. I did not say that. I am quite within my rights as a representative of the Northern Territory to question the AMA report, as I do with every other report ...
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr VATSKALIS: How can I possibly believe a report that says we closed the Gove maternity ward when we have not? How can I …
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr VATSKALIS: I know you are not smart enough: suspended and closed are two different things.
One thing for sure is, when they get the number of the beds we have in the Territory wrong, and then come back and claim that the number has declined, when we have not, we increased it, of course I am going to question that report. Am I going to question the criticism about the waiting lists? No I am not. I have said, many times, it has been reported in the NT News, that we have a big waiting list, and the result of that is because we have a number of …
Mr CONLAN: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Just to save the minister further embarrassment, he said that he did not dispute the report, when he clearly did. In fact, he did say it yesterday, it is written in Hansard that he said it was not the …
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Greatorex, there is no point of order. Resume your seat.
Mr Conlan: I think the minister is misleading the House, clearly.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Greatorex, I ask you to withdraw that last comment, please.
Mr Conlan: Which one, Madam Speaker?
Madam SPEAKER: You know that you are not allowed to make comments which can only be made under substantive motion.
Mr Conlan: I withdraw that, Madam Speaker.
Madam SPEAKER: Thank you. Resume your seat. Minister, you have the call. Minister, could you please come to the point very quickly.
Mr VATSKALIS: The reality is, I do not dispute evidence in the report, and secondly, I was here yesterday, and I said it is not going to be fixed in one day, or even six months, and that is exactly what the Prime Minister said yesterday. You cannot fix the health system if you cut funding here, if you cut funding there, if you are using bandaid solutions - which is what the Howard government did.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016