Mr BELL - 1995-10-19
On Tuesday, the minister refused to act to prevent severe damage occurring to the health of Territorians who live at Wadeye after I raised the fact that the clinic there was no longer to receive supplies of the vital blood pressure drug, Enalapril. Is the minister aware that, as a result of the gross underfunding of this health clinic and his refusal to provide funding to it, not only is the drug Enalapril unavailable to people who need it, but childhood immunisation will cease because of a shortage of triple antigen, supplies of antibiotics that are essential in the management of a range of infections have ceased, the supply of medical stores such as bandages, surgical gloves and dressing materials has ceased and the clinic's supplies will be exhausted by the end of the month, and insufficient funds are available to pay the salaries of the nursing staff, Aboriginal health workers and ancillary staff beyond tomorrow? In fact, it can be said truly that primary health care at Wadeye is about to collapse.
Mr Speaker, I seek leave to table a report, prepared yesterday, that relates to this situation at Wadeye.
Leave granted.
Mr BELL Will the minister act now to prevent what will otherwise become a major breakdown in the Territory's health services and release funds to this clinic or will he wait until someone dies?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, this is a pretty disgraceful question.
Members interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! A question has been asked of the minister.
Members interjecting.
Mr FINCH: The health service at Wadeye, or Port Keats ...
Mr Stone: It is full of inaccuracies.
Mr Ede: It is true!
Mr SPEAKER: Order! The minister is on his feet, attempting to answer a question.
Mr FINCH: The Port Keats clinic is not about to close - not at all. As I explained, the problems have been ...
Mr Ede: So they have to continue to work for no pay?
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Mr FINCH: If you would like to listen, I will give you the answer.
The problem is that, despite an increase in funding, the money has run out. Also, despite the fact that that funding should employ approximately 15 staff, 4 less staff than that are employed. Not only has the money run out ...
Mr Ede: You have not given it its second quarter's funding!
Mr FINCH: Do you want to listen to the answer or do you want to listen to your own empty head? Let us get to it. It is pretty simple.
Mr Ede: Let us get some facts.
Mr FINCH: Yes, the facts.
Mr Ede: Do not tell lies, just give facts.
Mr FINCH: I do not tell lies.
Mr Ede: Well, you are misinformed.
Mr FINCH: Despite ...
Mr Ede: Wheelchairs.
Mr FINCH: This will reflect the opposition's attitude, which is one of total irresponsibility when it comes to money. Members opposite would keep pouring it in. The department had some concerns - obviously enough - that moneys had not been acquitted.
Mr Bailey interjecting.
Mr FINCH: If the money was insufficient, then the acquittal process would indicate ...
Mr Bailey interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr FINCH: Calm down. I will ensure that there are enough nerve tablets there for you. We will obtain some extra pharmaceuticals for you.
Mr Bailey interjecting.
Mr FINCH: Hang on, it is quite simple. If insufficient money was allocated in the first instance - and I say that against a background of increased funding - on the surface, the department would assume, as would any reasonable person, that if there was a difficulty and the clinic could not make ends meet legitimately, then all would have been revealed by a simple audit and acquittal process going back over a very long time. However, there was an absolute refusal to acquit.
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Members interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr FINCH: Just hand out grants and do not worry where the money goes. Who cares about the taxpayers? The attitude of members of the opposition is that, if the clinic spent double the money, they would give it another bucketful.
Today, the department has an accounting officer at Wadeye to go through, at long last, with the ...
Mr Ede interjecting.
Mr FINCH: They have been trying to do this for months.
Mr Ede: What garbage! They have been writing to you for months but you have not answered the letters.
Mr FINCH: Rubbish! In fact, I received their letter on Monday, and you know I received their letter on Monday.
Mr Ede: That is what you said, but I cannot work that out because I received it the week before.
Mr FINCH: That was what annoyed me. In fact, the PAC was given a letter the Friday before. That is what I was getting knotted up about before.
Members interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr FINCH: I believe the officer who is there today will find answers as to where the money has or has not gone and will determine what the future arrangements will be. In the meantime, the department has given an undertaking that the forward funding will be available, at least until it can sort through all this mess.
As for the drug that the member spoke about, I am advised that there are appropriate alternatives.
Members interjecting.
Mr FINCH: I told you the other day that they have an account at the hospital for drugs. It has a $17 000 limit and it is up to $28 000.
Mr Ede: You have said that they could not have any more.
Mr FINCH: I have said already that the department will provide some funding in advance until we can work our way through this. It requires cooperation.
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Mr Speaker, I seek leave to table a report, prepared yesterday, that relates to this situation at Wadeye.
Leave granted.
Mr BELL Will the minister act now to prevent what will otherwise become a major breakdown in the Territory's health services and release funds to this clinic or will he wait until someone dies?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, this is a pretty disgraceful question.
Members interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! A question has been asked of the minister.
Members interjecting.
Mr FINCH: The health service at Wadeye, or Port Keats ...
Mr Stone: It is full of inaccuracies.
Mr Ede: It is true!
Mr SPEAKER: Order! The minister is on his feet, attempting to answer a question.
Mr FINCH: The Port Keats clinic is not about to close - not at all. As I explained, the problems have been ...
Mr Ede: So they have to continue to work for no pay?
Page 922
Mr FINCH: If you would like to listen, I will give you the answer.
The problem is that, despite an increase in funding, the money has run out. Also, despite the fact that that funding should employ approximately 15 staff, 4 less staff than that are employed. Not only has the money run out ...
Mr Ede: You have not given it its second quarter's funding!
Mr FINCH: Do you want to listen to the answer or do you want to listen to your own empty head? Let us get to it. It is pretty simple.
Mr Ede: Let us get some facts.
Mr FINCH: Yes, the facts.
Mr Ede: Do not tell lies, just give facts.
Mr FINCH: I do not tell lies.
Mr Ede: Well, you are misinformed.
Mr FINCH: Despite ...
Mr Ede: Wheelchairs.
Mr FINCH: This will reflect the opposition's attitude, which is one of total irresponsibility when it comes to money. Members opposite would keep pouring it in. The department had some concerns - obviously enough - that moneys had not been acquitted.
Mr Bailey interjecting.
Mr FINCH: If the money was insufficient, then the acquittal process would indicate ...
Mr Bailey interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr FINCH: Calm down. I will ensure that there are enough nerve tablets there for you. We will obtain some extra pharmaceuticals for you.
Mr Bailey interjecting.
Mr FINCH: Hang on, it is quite simple. If insufficient money was allocated in the first instance - and I say that against a background of increased funding - on the surface, the department would assume, as would any reasonable person, that if there was a difficulty and the clinic could not make ends meet legitimately, then all would have been revealed by a simple audit and acquittal process going back over a very long time. However, there was an absolute refusal to acquit.
Page 923
Members interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr FINCH: Just hand out grants and do not worry where the money goes. Who cares about the taxpayers? The attitude of members of the opposition is that, if the clinic spent double the money, they would give it another bucketful.
Today, the department has an accounting officer at Wadeye to go through, at long last, with the ...
Mr Ede interjecting.
Mr FINCH: They have been trying to do this for months.
Mr Ede: What garbage! They have been writing to you for months but you have not answered the letters.
Mr FINCH: Rubbish! In fact, I received their letter on Monday, and you know I received their letter on Monday.
Mr Ede: That is what you said, but I cannot work that out because I received it the week before.
Mr FINCH: That was what annoyed me. In fact, the PAC was given a letter the Friday before. That is what I was getting knotted up about before.
Members interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr FINCH: I believe the officer who is there today will find answers as to where the money has or has not gone and will determine what the future arrangements will be. In the meantime, the department has given an undertaking that the forward funding will be available, at least until it can sort through all this mess.
As for the drug that the member spoke about, I am advised that there are appropriate alternatives.
Members interjecting.
Mr FINCH: I told you the other day that they have an account at the hospital for drugs. It has a $17 000 limit and it is up to $28 000.
Mr Ede: You have said that they could not have any more.
Mr FINCH: I have said already that the department will provide some funding in advance until we can work our way through this. It requires cooperation.
Page 924
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016