Mr MILLS - 2008-09-16
Your Health minister’s bumbling defence of his responsibility for the nurse staffing crisis at Royal Darwin Hospital has torn his credibility and your government’s to shreds. During 2006 and 2007, the minister repeatedly boasted of the success of recruitment campaigns and howled down anyone suggesting any problems with nurse staffing levels. Now that the Coroner has found a nurse staffing crisis in those years, the minister has changed his tune. He has since claimed that he was told that the problems stemmed from difficulties recruiting nurses. That is, the minister now admits that there is a staffing crisis, a crisis he once vehemently denied existed. Here we have media releases: 9 October 2006, ‘Campaign Woos Nurses to the Territory’; on 6 February 2007, ‘Hospital Receives a Healthy Boost’ …
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Is the Leader of the Opposition actually going to get around to asking a question?
Madam SPEAKER: The Leader of the Opposition has the call. Please continue.
Mr MILLS: … and on 15 February 2007, ‘Nurse Recruitment Campaign a Winner’.
How can you retain a Health Minister who deliberately deceived the public regarding the crisis in nurse staffing levels at RDH that resulted in the death of a patient …
Madam SPEAKER: Leader of the Opposition, I ask you to withdraw the comments about deliberating deceiving. As you would be aware, they need to be made by way of substantive motion.
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Just by way of clarification, he made no reference to the member deceiving the House. He said the member deceived the people of the Northern Territory, a common reference to ministers in this government in this House.
Madam SPEAKER: Leader of the Opposition, I ask you to rephrase those comments, withdrawing those comments relating to deliberately deceiving.
Mr MILLS: Chief Minister, how can you retain a Health Minister who deliberately misled the public regarding the crisis in nurse staffing levels at RDH that resulted in the death of a patient?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the Leader of the Opposition for his question. We debated this issue all last week. The death of Mrs Winter was an absolute tragedy. It was a death which received a full independent Coronial investigation. The report which was handed down identified five key recommendations which the minister is implementing. Particularly in regard to the rostering of nurses, an independent expert, Professor Christine Duffield, will oversight the implementation of that new rostering system.
In regard to the Coroner’s report, the Coroner, unprecedented, issued a public comment on 11 September, and I quote:
The Coroner has very clearly said, not only in his report but in a clarifying statement, that there was one individual subject to adverse criticism, and that individual was not the Health Minister of the Northern Territory.
In regard to the issue of …
Mr MILLS: A point of order, Madam Speaker! The Chief Minister would well know that this question goes to the issue of issuing public statements saying that there is absolutely no problem with the health system that now has been found to be the case, which resulted in a death. That is the issue and that is the question.
Madam SPEAKER: There is no point of order.
Mr HENDERSON: Thank you, Madam Speaker. I was getting to answering the question and putting it in context.
In regard to those media releases the minister would have put out over the intervening period, of course, the Health department, on an ongoing basis, is out there recruiting nurses to the Northern Territory. I am absolutely confident that the Health Minister did not say in his report that we have had no problems recruiting nurses to the Northern Territory and we have as many nurses as we need and we are ever likely to want.
The only person in this Chamber, the only person in Australia, who follows health debates who would not believe that there is a nursing crisis and shortage right across Australia - not only in the Northern Territory - would be the Leader of the Opposition. Of course, our hospital, our health system, is competing for nurses against all other jurisdictions, against every other hospital in this country on an ongoing basis. It is quite appropriate for the Health Minister to be issuing media releases talking about the effectiveness of various campaigns ...
Mr Tollner: Why would you continue to put out media releases saying it …
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order, order!
Mr HENDERSON: It is totally appropriate.
Mr Mills: What? To spin and mislead deliberately. Inappropriate - that is inappropriate.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! The Leader of the Opposition is alleging deliberate misleading, which have been matters of previous points of order. If he wants to move a censure, move a censure.
Madam SPEAKER: I will seek some advice. Leader of the Opposition, I ask you to withdraw those comments under Standing Order 62.
Mr MILLS: The comments being the media releases …?
Madam SPEAKER: The comments that you made in relation to the Chief Minister misleading the parliament.
Mr MILLS: I withdraw the words ‘misleading the parliament’, Madam Speaker.
Mr HENDERSON: Madam Speaker, it is quite appropriate for the Health Minister to issue media releases talking about the success of relative recruitment campaigns over the period. There has been any number of debates in this House, and in the public domain, not only in the Northern Territory, about a nationwide shortage of nurses. The minister has never said that we do not have a problem with recruiting nurses in the Northern Territory; we have our full complement, and the full complement is there on an ongoing and permanent basis. Every jurisdiction has challenges recruiting nurses. There is a worldwide shortage of nurses, and it is totally appropriate for the minister to be putting out media releases talking about the successes of various recruitment campaigns.
In regard to the tragic death of Mrs Winter, the Coronial has been concluded, the recommendations are out there in the public domain, and the recommendations are being implemented.
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Is the Leader of the Opposition actually going to get around to asking a question?
Madam SPEAKER: The Leader of the Opposition has the call. Please continue.
Mr MILLS: … and on 15 February 2007, ‘Nurse Recruitment Campaign a Winner’.
How can you retain a Health Minister who deliberately deceived the public regarding the crisis in nurse staffing levels at RDH that resulted in the death of a patient …
Madam SPEAKER: Leader of the Opposition, I ask you to withdraw the comments about deliberating deceiving. As you would be aware, they need to be made by way of substantive motion.
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Just by way of clarification, he made no reference to the member deceiving the House. He said the member deceived the people of the Northern Territory, a common reference to ministers in this government in this House.
Madam SPEAKER: Leader of the Opposition, I ask you to rephrase those comments, withdrawing those comments relating to deliberately deceiving.
Mr MILLS: Chief Minister, how can you retain a Health Minister who deliberately misled the public regarding the crisis in nurse staffing levels at RDH that resulted in the death of a patient?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the Leader of the Opposition for his question. We debated this issue all last week. The death of Mrs Winter was an absolute tragedy. It was a death which received a full independent Coronial investigation. The report which was handed down identified five key recommendations which the minister is implementing. Particularly in regard to the rostering of nurses, an independent expert, Professor Christine Duffield, will oversight the implementation of that new rostering system.
In regard to the Coroner’s report, the Coroner, unprecedented, issued a public comment on 11 September, and I quote:
- Only one individual was subjected to adverse criticism, and that is why he was asked to be separately represented and indeed was by Mr Peter Barr QC.
The Coroner has very clearly said, not only in his report but in a clarifying statement, that there was one individual subject to adverse criticism, and that individual was not the Health Minister of the Northern Territory.
In regard to the issue of …
Mr MILLS: A point of order, Madam Speaker! The Chief Minister would well know that this question goes to the issue of issuing public statements saying that there is absolutely no problem with the health system that now has been found to be the case, which resulted in a death. That is the issue and that is the question.
Madam SPEAKER: There is no point of order.
Mr HENDERSON: Thank you, Madam Speaker. I was getting to answering the question and putting it in context.
In regard to those media releases the minister would have put out over the intervening period, of course, the Health department, on an ongoing basis, is out there recruiting nurses to the Northern Territory. I am absolutely confident that the Health Minister did not say in his report that we have had no problems recruiting nurses to the Northern Territory and we have as many nurses as we need and we are ever likely to want.
The only person in this Chamber, the only person in Australia, who follows health debates who would not believe that there is a nursing crisis and shortage right across Australia - not only in the Northern Territory - would be the Leader of the Opposition. Of course, our hospital, our health system, is competing for nurses against all other jurisdictions, against every other hospital in this country on an ongoing basis. It is quite appropriate for the Health Minister to be issuing media releases talking about the effectiveness of various campaigns ...
Mr Tollner: Why would you continue to put out media releases saying it …
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order, order!
Mr HENDERSON: It is totally appropriate.
Mr Mills: What? To spin and mislead deliberately. Inappropriate - that is inappropriate.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! The Leader of the Opposition is alleging deliberate misleading, which have been matters of previous points of order. If he wants to move a censure, move a censure.
Madam SPEAKER: I will seek some advice. Leader of the Opposition, I ask you to withdraw those comments under Standing Order 62.
Mr MILLS: The comments being the media releases …?
Madam SPEAKER: The comments that you made in relation to the Chief Minister misleading the parliament.
Mr MILLS: I withdraw the words ‘misleading the parliament’, Madam Speaker.
Mr HENDERSON: Madam Speaker, it is quite appropriate for the Health Minister to issue media releases talking about the success of relative recruitment campaigns over the period. There has been any number of debates in this House, and in the public domain, not only in the Northern Territory, about a nationwide shortage of nurses. The minister has never said that we do not have a problem with recruiting nurses in the Northern Territory; we have our full complement, and the full complement is there on an ongoing and permanent basis. Every jurisdiction has challenges recruiting nurses. There is a worldwide shortage of nurses, and it is totally appropriate for the minister to be putting out media releases talking about the successes of various recruitment campaigns.
In regard to the tragic death of Mrs Winter, the Coronial has been concluded, the recommendations are out there in the public domain, and the recommendations are being implemented.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016