2589 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY Tuesday 16 October 2007 __________ The Speaker (The Hon. George Richard Torbay) took the chair at 2.15 p.m. The Speaker read the Prayer and acknowledgement of country. ASSENT TO BILLS Assent to the following bills reported: Crimes Amendment Bill Liquor Amendment (Special Events Hotel Trading) Bill ADMINISTRATION OF THE GOVERNMENT The Speaker reported the following message from His Excellency the Lieutenant-Governor: J. J. SPIGELMAN Office of the Governor Lieutenant-Governor Sydney The Honourable James Jacob Spigelman, Chief Justice of New South Wales, Lieutenant-Governor of the State of New South Wales, has the honour to inform the Legislative Assembly that, consequent on the Governor of New South Wales, Professor Marie Bashir, having assumed the administration of the Government of the Commonwealth of Australia, he has this day assumed the administration of the Government of the State. 29 September 2007 ADMINISTRATION OF THE GOVERNMENT The Speaker reported the following message from the Administrator: KEITH MASON Office of the Governor Administrator Sydney The Honourable Justice Keith Mason, Administrator of the State of New South Wales, has the honour to inform the Legislative Assembly that, consequent on the Lieutenant-Governor of New South Wales, the Honourable James Jacob Spigelman, being absent from the State, he has this day assumed the administration of the Government of the State. 6 October 2007 BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE Notices of Motions Government Business Notices of Motions (for Bills) given. QUESTION TIME __________ HOSPITAL EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT MISCARRIAGE PROTOCOL Mr BARRY O'FARRELL: My question is directed to the Minister for Health. What, if any, extra money has been allocated to hospitals to implement the new miscarriage protocol that requires a midwife to be on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, in hospital emergency departments? Ms REBA MEAGHER: The Leader of the Opposition's question surprises me as it pre-empts the recommendations of the inquiry. Let us be clear. Following the distressing events that occurred at Royal North 2590 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 16 October 2007 Shore Hospital I commissioned an independent investigation to be undertaken by Professor Cliff Hughes of the Clinical Excellence Commission and Professor Bill Walters, head obstetrician at the Royal Hospital for Women. The SPEAKER: Order! I call the member for Willoughby to order. Ms REBA MEAGHER: Those two expert doctors will advise the Government on what went wrong on that night in question at Royal North Shore Hospital, but, more importantly, they will provide— Mr Greg Smith: Point of order— [Interruption] The SPEAKER: Is the member for Epping taking a point of order? Mr Greg Smith: I have changed my mind. The SPEAKER: Order! The member has changed his mind. That was very entertaining. The Minister has the call. Ms REBA MEAGHER: More importantly, they will recommend to the Government how it can improve its models of care for women presenting to emergency threatening miscarriage. We all agreed that our system could be strengthened and that greater privacy and dignity could be afforded to women in those circumstances. Mr Barry O'Farrell: Point of order: My point of order relates to relevance under Standing Order 129. The Minister's thesis is that I am pre-empting her inquiry. Don't you know that you already have a mandatory protocol that requires midwives to be on duty 24 hours a day, seven days a week in the State's emergency departments? Where is the money for it? The SPEAKER: Order! The Leader of the Opposition will resume his seat. Mr Barry O'Farrell: You don't know what your department's protocols are. You have made a fool of yourself and that is why you should go. You are a joke! The SPEAKER: Order! The Leader of the Opposition will cease interjecting. Outbursts like that will not be tolerated. [Interruption] The SPEAKER: Order! I call the Leader of the Opposition to order. Ms REBA MEAGHER: The time frame of the inquiry was that it should report to me by 26 October. The SPEAKER: Order! I call the Leader of Opposition to order for the second time. Ms REBA MEAGHER: We take this issue so seriously that we moved to accelerate the introduction of new models of care. [Interruption] To the contrary: pockets of excellence within our system demonstrate that we can do things better, and we will. We are already trialling those new models of care at Nepean Hospital, Westmead Hospital, Blacktown-Mount Druitt hospital, Auburn hospital and Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. These are examples of hospitals that have taken the initiative to drive a new model of care that is sensitive to the needs of women in these emotionally distressing circumstances. The SPEAKER: Order! Members will cease interjecting. 16 October 2007 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 2591 Ms REBA MEAGHER: I have made it very clear that Professor Walters and Professor Hughes will advise the Government on how to adopt that model of care. The SPEAKER: Order! I call the member for Willoughby to order for the second time. Ms REBA MEAGHER: There is no one size that fits all in our hospitals. It will be a challenge in our smaller rural and regional hospitals. Mrs Jillian Skinner: Point of order: Under Standing Order 129 my point of order relates to relevance. Minister, the protocol is already in place. We have it here. I seek leave to table the protocol. As you don't know of its existence I will table it. The SPEAKER: Order! I ask the Deputy Leader of the Opposition to resume her seat. The Minister's answer is relevant to the question. The standing orders do not make provision for the Deputy Leader of the Opposition to table the document. She would be aware of that. The Minister for Health has the call. Ms REBA MEAGHER: Furthermore, we anticipate that there will be costs and staffing implications as we roll out this new model. But I have given the commitment publicly, and so has the Premier, that we will meet that cost because at the end of the day women deserve a greater degree of privacy and dignity when dealing with this very difficult circumstance. HOSPITAL SYSTEM INVESTMENT Ms NOREEN HAY: My question is to the Premier. What is the latest information on the State's efforts to strengthen our hospital system in the wake of Federal disinterest and neglect? The SPEAKER: Order! The Premier has the call. Mr Adrian Piccoli: Point of order: Under Standing Order 128 I ask you to rule the question out of order. The standing order provides that questions should not contain inference or imputation. Clearly that question contained inference and imputation about the motives of the Federal Government. As an Independent Speaker you have set a very high standard. We would like to have that standard upheld in the House, and that should include the content of questions asked by Government members. The SPEAKER: Order! I have listened to the remarks of the member for Murrumbidgee. It would be a sad day for New South Wales if the House could not hear the answer to a question about strengthening the hospital system and, of course, related matters. The Premier may respond to the question. Mr MORRIS IEMMA: I can outline for the member for Wollongong the measures the State Government is taking to strengthen our public hospital and health systems. [Interruption] The member for Clarence might just once make a contribution to a debate on health from a position and in a tone— [Interruption] The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Clarence will remain silent. Mr MORRIS IEMMA: —that does not always start with the claim that the system is in crisis or a mess. The SPEAKER: Order! I call the member for Clarence to order. Mr MORRIS IEMMA: He might also start from a position and in a tone that suggests there is no silver bullet solution. If you are able to cross those two thresholds, then you might be able to make a worthwhile contribution to a debate about health. Like everybody else, you need to understand the sorts of pressures and demands on our health system. The simplistic notion that you sheet home all of the blame to State governments across the nation just underscores how ignorant you are. 2592 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 16 October 2007 The SPEAKER: Order! I call the member for Clarence to order for a second time. Mr MORRIS IEMMA: What you are on about is not strengthening our health system, but in tearing it down and using it and the great people who work in it for base political purposes. You would have a lot more credibility if just once you could get up in this place and make— Mr Steve Cansdell: Point of order— The SPEAKER: Order! Government members will remain silent. Mr Steve Cansdell: My point of order is relevance. The Premier has talked about the member for Clarence not standing up for his area. You stuffed it, Minister. The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Clarence will resume his seat. Mr Steve Cansdell: You messed it up! You and Craig Knowles gave her a poisoned chalice. She cannot fix it. You could not fix it. You are a disgrace! The SPEAKER: Order! I call the member for Clarence to order for a third time. If he so much as breathes he will find himself outside the Chamber. Mr MORRIS IEMMA: I do not know about him breathing, but he has been sketching! Last time we sat, despite complaints about the number of sitting days, the member for Clarence spent that entire week sketching. I want my money back! The SPEAKER: Order! The House will come to order.