Wednesday 16 October 2019 The Speaker, Ms Hickey, took the Chair at 10 a.m., acknowledged the Traditional People and read Prayers. RECOGNITION OF VISITORS Madam SPEAKER - Honourable members, I draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Home Educated students. They will be here until 11 a.m. Welcome to parliament. Members - Hear, hear. QUESTIONS Budget Cuts - Health Recruitment Ms WHITE question to MINISTER for HEALTH, Ms COURTNEY [10.03 a.m.] It is an appalling and shameful fact that your Government is cutting $450 million and slashing elective surgery procedures by 15 per cent. We know shifts for casual and part-time nurses have been cut. Staff have been told to expect vacancy control which means people are not being replaced when they resign. Against this backdrop an advertisement appeared in the weekend's paper seeking a new deputy secretary for capital programs in the Department of Health. This brand new position has a generous salary of $260 000 a year. Over the life of the contract this position will cost around $1.5 million, the equivalent of almost 200 new elective surgery procedures. How can you justify appointing a new, highly paid bureaucrat - Mr Hodgman - How do you justify the pay rise you gave yourself last year? Ms WHITE - when nearly 10 000 people are waiting for surgery and you are slashing the health budget and cutting jobs? Mr Hodgman - Going to number one first and then worry about everyone else. Madam SPEAKER - Premier, I would hate to give you the first warning. ANSWER Madam Speaker, I thank the member for her question. First of all, I refute the allegations in regard to this side of the Chamber. We are investing more in health and it was that side of the Chamber that cut ward nurses and shut wards. We heard that; we have seen that. It is this side of the House that is investing more in health, 32 per cent - Members interjecting. Madam SPEAKER - Order, through the Chair. 1 16 October 2019 Ms COURTNEY - of our budget invested within our health system, up from 25 per cent. It is an absolute falsehood to suggest that this side of the Chamber is doing nothing more than investing in health. I thank the member for highlighting that advertisement. The reason we are advertising for these roles is because the Government is investing in capital programs across our health system. We are delivering a K Block unlike your side that could not even lay a single brick. Mr Ferguson interjecting. Madam SPEAKER - Order, Mr Ferguson. Ms COURTNEY - We are seeing investment in rural infrastructure and in ambulance infrastructure in our rural communities. We are seeing a master plan being developed for the LGH. We are seeing a new ward for children being delivered at the LGH at the moment. It is prudent for the Government to invest because this is what we are doing. We are investing in capital for our state. We are investing in capital for the future of our health system to deliver the best services to Tasmanians. Ms Standen - Why do you need a new position to deliver that? Madam SPEAKER - Order, Ms Standen. Ms COURTNEY - This is an important project: both the stage 2 of the Royal, the stage 2 of the LGH, the master plan, the colocation that we have proposed at the LGH with the private. We are making sure that we are delivering these projects, unlike the other side. Dr Broad - You have had your chance. Madam SPEAKER - Order, Dr Broad. Ms COURTNEY - We saw, with their project on the waterfront, for their proposed hospital, $10 million dollars wasted on consultants. We are prudently investing to make sure - Ms O'Connor - You guys have been in government for five years. Madam SPEAKER - Order, Ms O'Connor. Ms COURTNEY - that we can deliver these projects for Tasmanians. Health - Access to Surgery Ms WHITE question to MINISTER for HEALTH, Ms COURTNEY [10.06 a.m.] While you slash the health budget and splash cash on highly paid bureaucrats, the waiting list for surgery continues to grow. After Spencer Connelly had waited 12 months for vital skin graft surgery, his mother Alison McGee, contacted you, along with the Deputy Premier Jeremy Rockliff, and the former failed Health minister, Michael Ferguson. His wait continues. Tasmanians first 2 16 October 2019 learned about the plight of Spencer Connelly in The Advocate on 12 September. By that time Spencer had already been waiting 14 months but it was not until Spencer's story made national headlines last week that you picked up the phone to attempt to resolve this unacceptable situation. Even then, your first instinct was to blame the staff. Why did it take so long for you to act and can you advise when Spencer will receive his surgery? ANSWER Madam Speaker, I thank the member for her question. With regard to Spencer's case, all Tasmanians would be very distressed about the circumstances that Spencer, his parents and family found themselves in. The events that have led up to Spencer's injuries have been well publicised. While I will not go into them in a range of forums, it is an area everybody would have enormous sympathy for Spencer, for his brother and for his mother. They were terrible circumstances. We have been continuing to engage with Spencer and his family through clinicians, through my office and as has been highlighted, I have spoken to Spencer's mum - Mr O'Byrne - Why didn't you ring her up after The Advocate article? Madam SPEAKER - Order, Mr O'Byrne. I am going to start the warnings now. You are first. Ms COURTNEY - to discuss the circumstances and I have enormous empathy for her. I have been advised that senior clinicians are putting in a plan with Spencer and his mum to do a review of his circumstances. This is not about blaming someone. This is about us having faith in our senior clinical leadership. Ms O'Byrne - Yes, but under-resourcing a system so they could not support him. Madam SPEAKER - Order, Ms O'Byrne. Warning one. Ms COURTNEY - It is challenging. We have many Tasmanians who find themselves in - Ms WHITE - Point of order, Madam Speaker. It goes to standing order 45. The question to the minister was, when will Spencer Connelly get his surgery? I ask you to direct her to the question. Madam SPEAKER - As you would appreciate, that is not a point of order under the restrictions I have under standing order 45. I will ask the minister to address the question. Ms COURTNEY - Thank you, Madam Speaker. The member would know that it would be completely inappropriate for me to talk about an individual patient's case, either here or anywhere else. I am expecting, as I have outlined, both here and in other places, that I am looking forward to hearing of the outcomes of that. I am not going to commit to update you on a person's circumstances, but I can reassure the member that my office, this Government, the leadership of the THS takes Spencer's case, as well as all the other cases that we see before us, very seriously. 3 16 October 2019 When we look at how we prioritise clinical cases, I do leave it to the experts, which is completely appropriate. I am pleased to know they are going to do a review and I look forward to hearing the outcomes of that. Coal Mines in Tasmania Ms O'CONNOR question to PREMIER, Mr HODGMAN [10.09 a.m.] We have an open letter calling on your Government to support a ban on new coal mines in Tasmania. It is signed by 34 Tasmanian organisations, including Doctors for the Environment, Australian Youth Climate Coalition, the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre, Renewable Energy Alliance and Agri-Energy Alliance, along with 35 academics and a whole range of individuals, including former Labor Premier David Bartlett, former environment minister, Paula Wriedt and former Speaker of the House, Andrew Lohrey. These distinguished and passionate Tasmanians have joined the call for you to act for a safe climate and protect Tasmania's brand. On breakfast radio this morning even Senator Jacqui Lambie called the call. Which side of history do you want to be on? Do you agree there is no place for new coal mines in Tasmania? ANSWER Madam Speaker, I thank the member for her question. I have received a copy of that letter. My Government is determined to ensure that this matter is appropriately handled through the processes that I outlined yesterday, but with a very clear statement that we will not do anything as a government that negatively impacts on our brand or on our other key objectives, such as to ensure that we meet the strong targets of growth in our agriculture sector that we have set ourselves and that we are on track to achieve under our policy platform. As I said yesterday, the coal exploration licences in question with Midland Energy go back some way. There has already been a lot of water under the bridge. As I said yesterday, there certainly is more to come with respect to this matter. In fact, they were granted no less by a Labor government back in 2008. They were allowed to continue to exist throughout the period of a Labor- Greens government. I do not recall hearing that the Labor-Greens government wanted to shut down these leases and exploration licences. They are exploration licences - not licences to operate. Applications have been made by the company to extend the term of these licences, but the Government has not granted nor been asked to grant any mining leases on any area of these licences.