Mr CONLAN - 2008-09-16
You know full well that bureaucrats do not act without clear and precise instructions. I put it to you that the decisions that led to the nurse staffing crisis at Royal Darwin Hospital, as outlined in the Coroner’s report, were made by you and David Ashbridge, and that Mr Campos was put in a position to be implementing those decisions. How can you say that the matter has been fully dealt with, when no action has been taken against Dr David Ashbridge? Is it not the fact that yourself, David Ashbridge and Mr Campos bear collective responsibility and should go?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, we are getting to the heart of this ...
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Dr BURNS: Please, member for Fong Lim, afford me the courtesy of answering the question.
Madam Speaker, we are getting to the heart of this. The first question from the Opposition Leader was about ‘a nurse staffing crisis at Royal Darwin Hospital’, and making the assertion that I had denied, or did not deny, all the way through, that there were issues around nursing numbers at Royal Darwin Hospital. I can remember standing in this place, standing in front of the media on countless occasions, and acknowledging that there is a nursing shortage right across Australia. That is a fact, Madam Speaker.
Let us look at some other facts here ...
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Dr BURNS: The member for Port Darwin asked me to table this graph here last week, which comes from Territory Health Services, as it was then, annual report, showing nursing numbers between 1996-97 to 1998-99, and showing 200 nurses stripped out of the system by the CLP ...
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Order!
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Honourable members, there is a lot of disorderly behaviour at the moment. I would like to be able to hear the minister’s response.
Dr BURNS: I hope that members opposite have availed themselves of the graph that I tabled last week. I am just looking to see a few heads down and seeing whether they have actually looked at it. This was an annual report ...
Mr CONLAN: A point of order; Madam Speaker! Could you please ask the minister to stop this pontificating rubbish and answer the question?
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Greatorex, there is no point of order.
Dr BURNS: Madam Speaker, I am answering the question. It is very clear from the Health Department’s own annual report, under the CLP government - listeners might be interested in this - that 200 nurses were stripped out by the CLP, and not replaced until 2000-01. I have another graph here that clearly shows the increase in the same report …
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Fong Lim, you are on a warning.
Dr BURNS: … that clearly shows the increase in nursing numbers since we came to power - some 430 nurses. The fact is that half of that was a catch up. It was a catch up for the 200 who were stripped out by the CLP ...
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Order!
Dr BURNS: If you want to talk about nursing numbers and all the rest of it, acknowledge your own shortfalls first.
There has been baying for blood today by members opposite. I will reiterate that Dr David Ashbridge has my full support as the CEO of the Health Department.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, we are getting to the heart of this ...
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Dr BURNS: Please, member for Fong Lim, afford me the courtesy of answering the question.
Madam Speaker, we are getting to the heart of this. The first question from the Opposition Leader was about ‘a nurse staffing crisis at Royal Darwin Hospital’, and making the assertion that I had denied, or did not deny, all the way through, that there were issues around nursing numbers at Royal Darwin Hospital. I can remember standing in this place, standing in front of the media on countless occasions, and acknowledging that there is a nursing shortage right across Australia. That is a fact, Madam Speaker.
Let us look at some other facts here ...
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Dr BURNS: The member for Port Darwin asked me to table this graph here last week, which comes from Territory Health Services, as it was then, annual report, showing nursing numbers between 1996-97 to 1998-99, and showing 200 nurses stripped out of the system by the CLP ...
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Order!
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Honourable members, there is a lot of disorderly behaviour at the moment. I would like to be able to hear the minister’s response.
Dr BURNS: I hope that members opposite have availed themselves of the graph that I tabled last week. I am just looking to see a few heads down and seeing whether they have actually looked at it. This was an annual report ...
Mr CONLAN: A point of order; Madam Speaker! Could you please ask the minister to stop this pontificating rubbish and answer the question?
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Greatorex, there is no point of order.
Dr BURNS: Madam Speaker, I am answering the question. It is very clear from the Health Department’s own annual report, under the CLP government - listeners might be interested in this - that 200 nurses were stripped out by the CLP, and not replaced until 2000-01. I have another graph here that clearly shows the increase in the same report …
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Fong Lim, you are on a warning.
Dr BURNS: … that clearly shows the increase in nursing numbers since we came to power - some 430 nurses. The fact is that half of that was a catch up. It was a catch up for the 200 who were stripped out by the CLP ...
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Order!
Dr BURNS: If you want to talk about nursing numbers and all the rest of it, acknowledge your own shortfalls first.
There has been baying for blood today by members opposite. I will reiterate that Dr David Ashbridge has my full support as the CEO of the Health Department.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016