Mr CONLAN - 2008-09-16
On 15 February 2007, you released a media release titled, ‘Nursing Recruitment Campaign a Winner’ in which you boasted that the government’s nursing recruitment campaign was proving to be the most successful yet. On 11 September, you said that you were aware of the nurse staffing crisis at RDH which was a result of nursing recruitment difficulties. How could you say in early 2007 that there were no recruitment problems and, yet, now you are saying that there are? Is it not the case that you were dishonest then and you are being dishonest now?
Ms LAWRIE: He did not say that. A point of order, Madam Speaker! The member opposite is being offensive, accusing the minister of being dishonest. He is being brought to the attention of the standing order in terms of being offensive ...
Mr ELFERINK: Speaking to the point of order, Madam Speaker.
Mr CONLAN: It is withdrawn.
Madam SPEAKER: He has withdrawn the comments. Thank you. Have you finished your question?
Mr CONLAN: Yes, Madam Speaker.
Mr Elferink: You get paid for the job you do; your performance is laughable.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Member for Port Darwin, cease interjecting!
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I can only reiterate what the Chief Minister said. We make no apology for having recruitment campaigns and highlighting those. Of course, we would be remiss in our job if we were not having recruitment campaigns.
Once again, we go back to the facts. We go back to the Report on Government Services that the Commonwealth government puts out every year on government services. It assesses the number of doctors and nurses and other professionals within it ...
Members interjecting.
Dr BURNS: Well, you are laughing; it was put out under your Howard government. Are you going to dispute it? I do not think so. I will table this as well. I hope that members opposite have a good look at this as well, because it shows, in terms of medical officers, nurses and other staff, that the Northern Territory, on a per capita basis per 1000 people, is leading in the numbers of nurses, doctors and the other professionals. This report on government services also shows that the per capita expenditure of the Northern Territory government, as has been reported just recently, is the best in Australia.
So, let us stick to the facts. Let us not try to spin media releases and verbal me. I make no apology for recruitment programs, and they will continue. We will continue recruitment programs and we will endeavour to try to recruit more nurses into the Northern Territory.
Ms LAWRIE: He did not say that. A point of order, Madam Speaker! The member opposite is being offensive, accusing the minister of being dishonest. He is being brought to the attention of the standing order in terms of being offensive ...
Mr ELFERINK: Speaking to the point of order, Madam Speaker.
Mr CONLAN: It is withdrawn.
Madam SPEAKER: He has withdrawn the comments. Thank you. Have you finished your question?
Mr CONLAN: Yes, Madam Speaker.
Mr Elferink: You get paid for the job you do; your performance is laughable.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Member for Port Darwin, cease interjecting!
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I can only reiterate what the Chief Minister said. We make no apology for having recruitment campaigns and highlighting those. Of course, we would be remiss in our job if we were not having recruitment campaigns.
Once again, we go back to the facts. We go back to the Report on Government Services that the Commonwealth government puts out every year on government services. It assesses the number of doctors and nurses and other professionals within it ...
Members interjecting.
Dr BURNS: Well, you are laughing; it was put out under your Howard government. Are you going to dispute it? I do not think so. I will table this as well. I hope that members opposite have a good look at this as well, because it shows, in terms of medical officers, nurses and other staff, that the Northern Territory, on a per capita basis per 1000 people, is leading in the numbers of nurses, doctors and the other professionals. This report on government services also shows that the per capita expenditure of the Northern Territory government, as has been reported just recently, is the best in Australia.
So, let us stick to the facts. Let us not try to spin media releases and verbal me. I make no apology for recruitment programs, and they will continue. We will continue recruitment programs and we will endeavour to try to recruit more nurses into the Northern Territory.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016