Mr GUNNER - 2009-04-28
Can you please update the House on the extra nurses who will be employed as part of Budget 2009-10?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member very much for his question. I am very happy to inform the House about the nurses, but I would like to respond to an allegation made by the Leader of the Opposition about cutting health services in the Territory.
Let me tell you how we cut services in the Territory. Since 2001, the Royal Darwin Hospital budget has increased by 101%. In 2008-09, the budget was $225m; next year it will be $245m. Is that cutting services? We have an extra 247 nursing positions at RDH; we now have 839 positions at RDH. What the CLP did was cut 200 nursing positions in the last decade.
Members interjecting
Madam SPEAKER: Order, order! Member for Port Darwin, cease interjecting.
Mr VATSKALIS: Our government reopened Ward 3D with 30 beds; that was the ward the CLP had closed. We opened up the Rapid Admission Unit with 24 beds in RDH. We opened the Palmerston Super Clinic urgent care after hours service …
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr VATSKALIS: … that the previous member for Solomon could not deliver. We opened the discharge lounge at RDH, and we expanded Hospital in the Home. But not only at RDH. Cutting services as they say, we have 12 new fully-staffed beds in Alice Springs Hospital; a discharge lounge; and Hospital in the Home is increasing to seven days per week. So if this was cutting down services, then someone has it wrong - it certainly was not us.
Let us talk about the nurses. A few days ago, I announced that our government will spend $182m to pay for 1900 nurses in the Territory. This money will include 95 new nurse positions in the Territory. So, since we came to power, we will have an extra 578 nurse positions in the Territory.
The member for Port Darwin this morning said the rate of spending money is not an outcome. Well, if you do not spend money, how are you going to employ nurses? If you do not spend $182m, how are you going to employ 1900 nurses to provide services to Territorians in the Territory?
Mr Elferink: Where are the health outcomes?
Mr VATSKALIS: Well, 1900 nurses providing care to Territorians who are sick – it is a health outcome, isn’t it?
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order, order! Member for Port Darwin, cease interjecting. Minister, you have the call.
Mr VATSKALIS: Thank you, Madam Speaker ...
Mr Elferink: Spending money is not an outcome.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Port Darwin, you are on a warning. Minister, you have the call.
Mr VATSKALIS: Thank you, Madam Speaker. The CLP obviously has a problem with health professionals in the Territory - always attacking the nurses, the doctors, and our health system. They do not want the Oncology Unit. What is the point?
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order, order!
Mr VATSKALIS: They do not understand. We have the member for Greatorex arguing that Territorians from Alice Springs should go to Adelaide when he knows very well that unless every Territorian who has cancer is treated in the Territory, the Oncology Unit will not survive and it will close down. He prefers to close the Oncology Unit in Darwin for his own political purpose. Well, we are not going to allow it.
As I said before, we have an extra 95 nurses in the Territory. They do a fantastic job. We know it is a very tough profession, and we know very well that not all the nurses stay in the Territory. However, this time we have nursing stability at record levels – 80%. That means four out of five nurses who worked for us last year are still working with us - four out of five nurses who choose to stay and work in the Territory. I travelled around - I went to Alice Springs, Nhulunbuy and Katherine. I have seen people working and doing a great job. What I hear from management is that the nursing stability at the moment across the Territory is at record levels. They not only choose to stay here, but when they go, they come back, or they talk to their friends about working in the Territory.
We provide a fantastic working experience and a fantastic environment. There are things that they would never see anywhere else in Australia, I admit that. However, at the same time, our government is committed, and will be committed to provide the best health system in Australia.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member very much for his question. I am very happy to inform the House about the nurses, but I would like to respond to an allegation made by the Leader of the Opposition about cutting health services in the Territory.
Let me tell you how we cut services in the Territory. Since 2001, the Royal Darwin Hospital budget has increased by 101%. In 2008-09, the budget was $225m; next year it will be $245m. Is that cutting services? We have an extra 247 nursing positions at RDH; we now have 839 positions at RDH. What the CLP did was cut 200 nursing positions in the last decade.
Members interjecting
Madam SPEAKER: Order, order! Member for Port Darwin, cease interjecting.
Mr VATSKALIS: Our government reopened Ward 3D with 30 beds; that was the ward the CLP had closed. We opened up the Rapid Admission Unit with 24 beds in RDH. We opened the Palmerston Super Clinic urgent care after hours service …
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr VATSKALIS: … that the previous member for Solomon could not deliver. We opened the discharge lounge at RDH, and we expanded Hospital in the Home. But not only at RDH. Cutting services as they say, we have 12 new fully-staffed beds in Alice Springs Hospital; a discharge lounge; and Hospital in the Home is increasing to seven days per week. So if this was cutting down services, then someone has it wrong - it certainly was not us.
Let us talk about the nurses. A few days ago, I announced that our government will spend $182m to pay for 1900 nurses in the Territory. This money will include 95 new nurse positions in the Territory. So, since we came to power, we will have an extra 578 nurse positions in the Territory.
The member for Port Darwin this morning said the rate of spending money is not an outcome. Well, if you do not spend money, how are you going to employ nurses? If you do not spend $182m, how are you going to employ 1900 nurses to provide services to Territorians in the Territory?
Mr Elferink: Where are the health outcomes?
Mr VATSKALIS: Well, 1900 nurses providing care to Territorians who are sick – it is a health outcome, isn’t it?
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order, order! Member for Port Darwin, cease interjecting. Minister, you have the call.
Mr VATSKALIS: Thank you, Madam Speaker ...
Mr Elferink: Spending money is not an outcome.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Port Darwin, you are on a warning. Minister, you have the call.
Mr VATSKALIS: Thank you, Madam Speaker. The CLP obviously has a problem with health professionals in the Territory - always attacking the nurses, the doctors, and our health system. They do not want the Oncology Unit. What is the point?
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order, order!
Mr VATSKALIS: They do not understand. We have the member for Greatorex arguing that Territorians from Alice Springs should go to Adelaide when he knows very well that unless every Territorian who has cancer is treated in the Territory, the Oncology Unit will not survive and it will close down. He prefers to close the Oncology Unit in Darwin for his own political purpose. Well, we are not going to allow it.
As I said before, we have an extra 95 nurses in the Territory. They do a fantastic job. We know it is a very tough profession, and we know very well that not all the nurses stay in the Territory. However, this time we have nursing stability at record levels – 80%. That means four out of five nurses who worked for us last year are still working with us - four out of five nurses who choose to stay and work in the Territory. I travelled around - I went to Alice Springs, Nhulunbuy and Katherine. I have seen people working and doing a great job. What I hear from management is that the nursing stability at the moment across the Territory is at record levels. They not only choose to stay here, but when they go, they come back, or they talk to their friends about working in the Territory.
We provide a fantastic working experience and a fantastic environment. There are things that they would never see anywhere else in Australia, I admit that. However, at the same time, our government is committed, and will be committed to provide the best health system in Australia.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016