Mr MILLS - 2008-09-17
Why will you not support a public inquiry into acute care health services that will allow Territory nurses, doctors, allied health professionals, patients and all Territorians to have their say on our five public hospitals? What is your government trying to hide?
Madam SPEAKER: Please pause, Chief Minister. I will seek advice on this because, of course, Leader of the Opposition, you have only just given notice of something which is going to be on the Notice Paper tomorrow.
Chief Minister, I will allow you to answer it if you wish, but there is no obligation for you to do so because it is before the Chamber.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, you would have thought that the Leader of the Opposition, who has been in this House as long as I have, would understand the rules of the House and the rules of debate.
The Health Minister has commissioned an independent expert review at Royal Darwin Hospital. It will be conducted by the Australian Council on Healthcare Standards. This is an independent body which has pre-eminent expertise in this area to conduct an open and transparent review. All staff …
Mr Mills: Will all Territorians be involved in this?
Mr HENDERSON: All staff at Royal Darwin Hospital will be able to have input into this review. My colleague, the Health Minister, has said that the outcomes of the review will be made public. We have commissioned the nation’s pre-eminent body - and, I believe, in discussions with the Health Minister, this particular body is internationally acclaimed; countries from around the world source the Australian Council on Healthcare Standards in these types of reviews - to do an independent review at Royal Darwin Hospital. That will be the appropriate action to be taken in this circumstance.
Also, there is a commitment by this government, by my Health Minister, to implement the recommendations that flow on through the Coroner’s case ...
Mr Elferink: What are you trying to hide?
Mr HENDERSON: I will pick up on the interjection from the member for Port Darwin. This is an open, independent, expert review that everyone at Royal Darwin Hospital - all the practitioners, whether clinical, nursing practitioners, allied practitioners, management at Royal Darwin Hospital - will be able to have their input into this review. It will be done by a pre-eminent, expert body, and the findings will be made public. That is what this government will be doing. That is what the Health Minister has committed to do - open, transparent, on the record.
Madam SPEAKER: Please pause, Chief Minister. I will seek advice on this because, of course, Leader of the Opposition, you have only just given notice of something which is going to be on the Notice Paper tomorrow.
Chief Minister, I will allow you to answer it if you wish, but there is no obligation for you to do so because it is before the Chamber.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, you would have thought that the Leader of the Opposition, who has been in this House as long as I have, would understand the rules of the House and the rules of debate.
The Health Minister has commissioned an independent expert review at Royal Darwin Hospital. It will be conducted by the Australian Council on Healthcare Standards. This is an independent body which has pre-eminent expertise in this area to conduct an open and transparent review. All staff …
Mr Mills: Will all Territorians be involved in this?
Mr HENDERSON: All staff at Royal Darwin Hospital will be able to have input into this review. My colleague, the Health Minister, has said that the outcomes of the review will be made public. We have commissioned the nation’s pre-eminent body - and, I believe, in discussions with the Health Minister, this particular body is internationally acclaimed; countries from around the world source the Australian Council on Healthcare Standards in these types of reviews - to do an independent review at Royal Darwin Hospital. That will be the appropriate action to be taken in this circumstance.
Also, there is a commitment by this government, by my Health Minister, to implement the recommendations that flow on through the Coroner’s case ...
Mr Elferink: What are you trying to hide?
Mr HENDERSON: I will pick up on the interjection from the member for Port Darwin. This is an open, independent, expert review that everyone at Royal Darwin Hospital - all the practitioners, whether clinical, nursing practitioners, allied practitioners, management at Royal Darwin Hospital - will be able to have their input into this review. It will be done by a pre-eminent, expert body, and the findings will be made public. That is what this government will be doing. That is what the Health Minister has committed to do - open, transparent, on the record.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016