weekly hansard - Queensland Parliament - Queensland Government

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23 Aug 2005 Private Members’ Statements 2553 Mr Copeland interjected. Mr SPEAKER: Order! Member for Cunningham, you have been learning over the weekend when I asked you to leave the chamber. I warn you under standing order 253. Ms JARRATT: With just 117 survey responses, she extrapolated a position on behalf of the remaining 134,883 of us that we want to get rid of Telstra. The only problem is—and I quote from her own publication— ... on the question of a further sale of Telstra, 81% of those who responded said there should be no further sale. That does not sound like a ringing endorsement to me, let alone a reasonable sample. In fact, the only ringing I hear is the sound of hollow promises and fading hope. Time expired. Redcliffe and Chatsworth By-Elections Mr QUINN (Robina—Lib) (10.26 am): On Saturday the voters of Chatsworth and Redcliffe delivered a stinging rejection of this government. They looked behind the personality smokescreen, they looked behind the slick media presentation, they looked behind the political stunts, and they made a judgment on the performance of this government. The performance of this government was judged by those people to be lousy, not worthy of their support on Saturday. This government has wasted the trust and confidence that was placed in it 18 months ago by the people of Queensland. The people of Redcliffe and Chatsworth did not like the secret waiting lists in our hospitals, they did not like the slow replacement of asbestos roofs in our schools, they did not like the continuing traffic snarls in Brisbane and the poor transport performance in the south-east corner of the state. They made a judgment based on the issues that were of concern to them. They were not fooled by the distractions drawn across the election trail by a desperate Premier and a desperate ALP government in the four weeks of the campaign. They could not fool the people of Chatsworth and Redcliffe. They were intelligent enough not to be spooked or scared by a campaign based on something that might happen three or four weeks down the track. They knew that industrial relations and a range of other issues were not the real issues in the election campaign. They looked at the record of this government and found it wanting. Will this government take any notice? Not on your life, because what did the Premier do the very day after the by-elections? He pulled another stunt. He went out and said, ‘I’m going to lighten my workload. I’ll get rid of a couple of jobs that I have, give them to someone else and everything will be hunky-dory.’ He did not even understand what the lesson of the election campaign was. So do we have any confidence that this government will change? Not at all! The people of Chatsworth and Redcliffe got it right on the weekend. They want this government to lift its game and to concentrate on the real priorities of the people of Queensland, not the priorities of the Labor Party, not the internal machinations of the government. Time expired. Sale of Telstra Mr SHINE (Toowoomba North—ALP) (10.28 am): Last Wednesday will go down in history as Australia’s day of infamy. It was the day when, in our national capital, the federal Nationals voted with their Liberal cronies to agree to the sale of Telstra. As the Premier’s advisor on western Queensland, I was particularly appalled by this decision, not just because it represented poor policy, not just because on polls 75 per cent of Australians want Telstra to remain in public hands, but because it represented a foul and treacherous betrayal by the Nationals of their historic constituency—the bush. And for what? After $2 billion is put away in a trust fund, only $1 billion is to be spent over three years to improve current services and provide online and health services. This is a pittance. Put it into context with what the state spends. Mr Rickuss interjected. Mr SPEAKER: Order! Member for Lockyer, you sit there and you interject all of the time. I am warning you under standing order 253. If you continue this you will be marching out. Mr SHINE: Mr Speaker, it represents, for example, less than one-fifth of the state’s annual expenditure on Health; a quarter of the annual Education expenditure in Queensland. Does anyone really think it is sufficient to provide mobile coverage in country Queensland? The people of country Queensland need protection. The federal National Party has sold them out. Senator Joyce has gone from an ardent advocate for 75 per cent of Queensland to jettisoning their wishes and taking the money. I will not abuse him like Tuckey or Schultz. That is not my style; I am not a Liberal. But, as one paper said, from hero to zero in record time. Even the Courier-Mail said that his move from strident opposition to haggling over the price has been surprisingly rapid. Yes, he stood up and he sat down.
2554 Questions Without Notice 23 Aug 2005 Senator Joyce’s latest position is that it is up to the National Party state management committee to decide. He seems to believe that subservience to this faceless gaggle somehow satisfies his constitutional duty as a senator. Nevertheless, as most state MPs are on this body, this makes the Queensland National Party a very important player in the fate of the Australian icon. Will they save Telstra? Are they up to the challenge? Will they be strong enough? Mr SPEAKER: Order! The time for private members’ statements has expired. QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE Health System Mr SPRINGBORG (10.30 am): My question without notice is directed to the Minister for Health. I refer to evidence provided to the Morris inquiry regarding the hidden waiting list to get on the waiting lists. As the evidence provided to the inquiry was for data compiled to June last year, and given that the Premier has promised yet another era of listening, openness and accountability following the weekend’s by-election defeats, will the minister now provide the parliament with the up-to-date hidden waiting list information? Mr ROBERTSON: I thank the honourable member for the question. With respect to the so-called hidden waiting lists that were presented to the Morris inquiry, it was made clear that the figures presented represented a snapshot. It was also made clear that Queensland Health has not systematically kept that data to date. However, a project is now under way to commence the collection of that data systematically and consistently across all hospitals in Queensland Health. So for the first time we will be able to track the so-called hidden waiting lists or the waiting lists for appointments with specialists through our public hospital system, and that will provide a new level of transparency to the extent that no other government in Australia currently provides. I mentioned last time we sat, and I will reiterate, that with respect to the data currently provided by Queensland Health—that is, the waiting list data—that was a data collection that commenced under the opposition when it was in government. They were nationally consistent guidelines. That is, every government in Australia collected the same statistics using the same parameters so that appropriate comparisons could be made with respect to Queensland vis-a-vis New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia. That is the system that was set up under a National-Liberal Party government. This is the same system that those opposite now criticise. When it comes to the Hippocratic oath—or perhaps we should call it the ‘hypocritic’ oath—no surgeon, no-one, stands more condemned than those opposite with respect to their rank hypocrisy. The simple fact is that the data we produced year in, year out was nationally consistent data. We are now moving to a new phase with the collection of data across Queensland towards improving the level of transparency with respect to how Queensland Health is performing. Miss Simpson interjected. Mr SPEAKER: Order! Member for Maroochydore, I warn you for the last time. Mr ROBERTSON: No other government provides this level of data, and I look forward to being able to present this information in the future. Health System Mr SPRINGBORG: My question without notice is directed to the Premier. I refer to the Premier’s pressure on Commissioner Morris to conclude his report on Queensland’s crumbling health system by no later than 30 September this year. How is it that the inquiry into the Queensland racing industry was extended by six months and lasted seven months, and yet the Morris royal commission into the most crucial issue for all Queenslanders—their health—is not to be extended beyond five months? Is it not a fact that this decision to conclude this inquiry is more about reducing the pain on the Premier’s government than it is about reducing pain on Queensland patients? Mr BEATTIE: I do not believe that anybody, regardless of who they are, could possibly argue about the independence of Tony Morris. So let me start that as point No. 1. What did Tony Morris ask for when I, the Deputy Premier and the Minister for Health met with him? He asked for an extension to 14 October to complete his hearings. We have agreed to that. There is an extension of two weeks until 14 October to complete his public hearings in relation to individual matters and matters pertaining to people in Bundaberg. That is what he asked for. We agreed to what he asked for. In terms of 30 September, there will be an initial report from the commission that will deal with systemic issues. So there will be two reports. One will deal with systemic issues. It will be completed on time, as planned, by 30 September. There will be a second report from the commission, and we have agreed to a two-week extension today to 14 October. The second report will deal with Bundaberg and individual matters. We have agreed to an extension. I say that again: we have agreed to an extension as sought by Tony Morris.
Page 1 and 2: PROOF ISSN 1322-0330 WEEKLY HANSARD
Page 3 and 4: Table of Contents — Tuesday, 23 A
Page 5 and 6: 2536 Papers 23 Aug 2005 PAPERS PAPE
Page 7 and 8: 2538 Ministerial Statement 23 Aug 2
Page 19 and 20: 2550 Scrutiny of Legislation Commit
Page 21: 2552 Private Members’ Statements
Page 25 and 26: 2556 Questions Without Notice 23 Au
Page 33 and 34: 2564 Members’ Ethics and Parliame
Page 35 and 36: 2566 Matters of Public Interest 23
Page 45 and 46: 2576 Constitutional and Other Legis
Page 47 and 48: 2578 Transport Legislation Amendmen
Page 49 and 50: 2580 Transport Legislation Amendmen
Page 51 and 52: 2582 Housing Legislation Amendment
Page 53 and 54: 2584 Education (Queensland College
Page 55 and 56: 2586 Succession Amendment Bill 23 A
Page 57 and 58: 2588 Succession Amendment Bill 23 A
Page 59 and 60: 2590 Queensland Competition Authori
Page 69 and 70: 2600 Racing Venues Development Amen
Page 71 and 72: 2602 Racing Venues Development Amen
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2604 Racing Venues Development Amen
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2612 Plumbing and Drainage and Othe
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2630 Child Safety Legislation Amend
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2642 Adjournment 23 Aug 2005 One pa
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2644 Adjournment 23 Aug 2005 years.
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2646 Adjournment 23 Aug 2005 Finall
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weekly hansard - Queensland Parliament - Queensland Government

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