Mr MILLS - 2008-05-06
The word ‘oncology’ does not appear in any budget paper. The only mention it gets is at the back of a fact sheet, which is an accompaniment to the budget paper. Can you explain why there is no money committed to an oncology unit in this budget?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, the Territory government has set aside funding within its capacity to deliver an oncology unit. We have not announced any specific funding as part of budget announcements because, as the Leader of the Opposition well knows, we are concluding negotiations with the Commonwealth government around the financial agreement for delivering oncology to the Territory. Oncology is a service that is critically important to Territorians. Our government will not use this service as a political football. What we will do is …
Mr Mills: Who used it as a political football? You promised it twice - before elections.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Ms LAWRIE: We will continue the extremely important negotiations with the Commonwealth. We will not jeopardise those negotiations by announcing publicly what we have set aside to deliver oncology, but we do have the funding capacity to deliver. We are negotiating with the Commonwealth. The Minister for Health announced an expert negotiating team, so we have every confidence in the outcome of those negotiations. Leader of the Opposition, oncology, as an important service, will be delivered on the grounds of the hospital precinct by this Labor government.
Dr BURNS (Health): Madam Speaker, if I might speak to that question? The Leader of the Opposition should know the Commonwealth has given the Northern Territory government the funds to negotiate through with the providers. The funds that were allocated by the Commonwealth have been given to the Territory government.
He is playing political football with this. The reason the overall amount is not in our budget papers is that it has been transferred from the Commonwealth to the Territory.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, the Territory government has set aside funding within its capacity to deliver an oncology unit. We have not announced any specific funding as part of budget announcements because, as the Leader of the Opposition well knows, we are concluding negotiations with the Commonwealth government around the financial agreement for delivering oncology to the Territory. Oncology is a service that is critically important to Territorians. Our government will not use this service as a political football. What we will do is …
Mr Mills: Who used it as a political football? You promised it twice - before elections.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Ms LAWRIE: We will continue the extremely important negotiations with the Commonwealth. We will not jeopardise those negotiations by announcing publicly what we have set aside to deliver oncology, but we do have the funding capacity to deliver. We are negotiating with the Commonwealth. The Minister for Health announced an expert negotiating team, so we have every confidence in the outcome of those negotiations. Leader of the Opposition, oncology, as an important service, will be delivered on the grounds of the hospital precinct by this Labor government.
Dr BURNS (Health): Madam Speaker, if I might speak to that question? The Leader of the Opposition should know the Commonwealth has given the Northern Territory government the funds to negotiate through with the providers. The funds that were allocated by the Commonwealth have been given to the Territory government.
He is playing political football with this. The reason the overall amount is not in our budget papers is that it has been transferred from the Commonwealth to the Territory.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016