PARLIAMENT OF NEW SOUTH WALES

Contact us | Advanced search |   search
  1. Home
  2. Hansard
  3. Legislative Assembly by date
  4. 30 March 2006

Consideration of Urgent Motions

Printing Tips | Print selected text | Full Day Hansard Transcript | « Prior Item | Item 28 of 44 | Next Item »


About this Item
SubjectsHealth; Hospitals; Members of Parliament; Nationals: New South Wales; Retirement; Hospital Waiting Lists
SpeakersBlack Mr Peter; Speaker; Skinner Mrs Jillian; Acting-Speaker (Mr Paul Lynch)
BusinessDivision, Motion


    CONSIDERATION OF URGENT MOTIONS
Page: 21872


    The Nationals Representation

    Mr PETER BLACK (Murray-Darling) [3.52 p.m.]: My notice of motion is urgent because a debate on the state of The Nationals in this place is long overdue. Yesterday a more than significant event took place in this place concerning The Nationals. I refer to the announcement of the retirement of that last great leader of the once great Country Party, Ian Armstrong. This matter is urgent because a series of announcements have been made about retirements. We have heard an announcement concerning the retirement of the member for Barwon, Ian Slack-Smith, an announcement concerning the retirement of a Liberal, Andrew "Chainsaw" Tink, and his replacement by Brad "Whippersnipper" Hazzard.

    Mr Barry O'Farrell: Point of order: I will not use the hackneyed and tired point of order that the honourable member for Bankstown continues to use. I simply say that the member for Broken Hill has been here long enough to know he should address members by their proper title.

    Mr SPEAKER: Order! I concur wholeheartedly. I uphold the point of order.

    Mr PETER BLACK: I was coming to F. J. Piccoli. I take the point, Mr Speaker. It is a very valid point. The bottom line is that Ian Armstrong is leaving this place. He was a leader of the once-great Country Party.

    Mr SPEAKER: Order! The honourable member for Murray-Darling will refer to members of this House by their proper titles, which are the names of their electorates.

    Mr PETER BLACK: What is the title of the member for Murrumbidgee? I understand he is a shadow Minister. But what is he the shadow Minister of? It appears to me today his proper title would be the shadow Minister for holidays—because he is not in the House this afternoon, but is on his way to Deniliquin to play with a genetically modified goat, I am told. This is the state of The Nationals. That is why we should discuss my motion. Members of the Liberal Party should join me in supporting urgency for this motion, because they should be seriously concerned about the state of The Nationals. What is it doing in the bush, in the real world, about exceptional circumstances funding? We are told that in the bush exceptional circumstances funding is to be turned off at the end of June.

    Mr Peter Debnam: Point of order: I just wonder whether the member is actually in a fit state here. What is he doing?

    Mr SPEAKER: Order! The Leader of the Opposition may take a point of order, but he should not cast aspersions on a member of this House.

    Mr PETER BLACK: The Liberals are showing concern because they know that fuel prices in regional and rural New South Wales—which The Nationals are doing nothing about—will seriously affect their chances of achieving any result they might hope for in March next year. Let us talk about the free trade deals that The Nationals have been doing. Those deals have affected the citrus industry to such an extent that in the season just ended the citrus industry had its worst result in 50 years. What about Telstra? Not a word do we hear from The Nationals about the fact that it appears Euston's will be the last CDMA tower turned on.

    The motion is urgent because we want a tower constructed at Pooncarie—the last hot-spot in western New South Wales. Twice the Liberals have ignored this question and knocked back the citizens of Pooncarie. My motion is urgent because we hear nothing from The Nationals about a proper cap at Bourke. The matter is urgent because we hear nothing from The Nationals about threats by the Commonwealth Government to fine this State on the issue of the living Murray, to fine us over the issue of trading water interstate. It is very interesting that in South Australia The Nationals are in coalition with Labor.

    Mr Barry O'Farrell: Point of order: I have been listening very carefully. The issues being raised by the member may have validity, it is just that they do not actually fall within the ambit of his motion.

    Mr SPEAKER: Order! The honourable member for Murray-Darling is giving reasons why his motion should be accorded priority.

    Mr Barry O'Farrell: The living Murray?

    Mr PETER BLACK: The living Murray, yes.

    Mr Barry O'Farrell: How is that relevant to the motion?

    Mr PETER BLACK: This is the State we are talking about. This is why you ought to be congratulating Country Labor for doing the job for western New South Wales where The Nationals have broken down completely. [Time expired.]

    Hospital Waiting Lists

    Mrs JILLIAN SKINNER (North Shore) [3.57 p.m.]: That was the most extraordinary claim to urgency that I have heard in my time in this place. It speaks volumes about deciding which motion should be debated urgently. My motion is about health and the Premier's failure to protect public health. Every poll and every newspaper editorial indicates that public health provision in this State is on the minds of the population and needs to be addressed urgently. It is urgent that this House have the opportunity to debate what happened under the watch of Morris Iemma when he was health Minister. Then, elective surgery waiting lists were at their highest ever at 65,000 people.

    Today the Premier said: Aren't we fabulous? We've brought down the waiting lists. The reality is that elective surgery waiting lists increased from 56,000 in December 2005 to 60,000, which has been posted on the web site this morning. That is, 60,000 people are waiting for elective surgery in New South Wales. Included in that number were Frank Pritchett and Emma Wilmott, who were in the Parliament today. They walked out of this place absolutely offended by the Premier's behaviour. They are offended because, as they said to me when they were walking out, "I thought the Government was here to provide services for the people of this State!" My motion is urgent because people such as Frank Pritchett and Emma Wilmott need surgery now. The public want Premier Morris Iemma to respond and tell us why under his watch as health Minister emergency departments were at their worst, as were hospital debts, according to the Auditor-General. We had a record 35 per cent of patients needing admission to emergency departments waiting more than eight hours.

    The motion is urgent because the Premier, the Minister for Health and all those absolutely useless interjecting members on the other side talk about reduced waiting lists. Reduced from what? Reduced from 65,000 when the Premier was the Minister for Health to 60,000 now? Do they not care? Do they not think that people want to discuss health? Do they not think that 215,000 people waiting for public dental care want this matter debated? Do they not think that motorists who drive through the M5 East tunnel want discussion about pollutants?

    Mr Steve Whan: Point of order: The honourable member opposite has suggested that Country Labor does not want to debate dental care. I am fairly sure that on numerous occasions we have raised the fact that the Howard Government cut the funding from the public dental health program when the waiting lists were zero. Now the waiting lists are huge because of that cut in government funding from the Federal Government. Dental health is a Federal Government constitutional responsibility

    Mr ACTING-SPEAKER (Mr Paul Lynch): Order! There is no point of order. The honourable member for Monaro will resume his seat. The honourable member for North Shore has the call.

    Mrs JILLIAN SKINNER: The honourable member for Monaro has indicated why we should debate this motion. He has indicated why it is urgent. He has demonstrated his total ignorance. Public dental care is the responsibility of the State.

    Mr Steve Whan: It's in the Commonwealth Constitution.

    Mrs JILLIAN SKINNER: If you do not believe me, believe the New South Wales President of the Australian Dental Association. I will send you a press release that that association issued yesterday. The president of the association will be in this House tomorrow for the release of the committee report on public dental health. He will tell you, since you are so ignorant, exactly who is responsible. If the Commonwealth is responsible, why is your Government providing $100 million for public dental care?

    Mr Tony Stewart: Point of order: As reluctant as I am to take a point of order, particularly when the honourable member for North Shore is speaking, I must point out that she is straying from the standing orders. She is not arguing priority, as the standing orders require. The honourable member for North Shore knows that is a requirement of the standing orders. She should argue priority and not the substantive debate that is required later.

    Mr ACTING-SPEAKER (Mr Paul Lynch): Order! The honourable member for Bankstown may have a point. I ask the honourable member for North Shore to direct her remarks through the Chair rather than to the honourable member for Monaro. The honourable member for North Shore has the call.

    Mrs JILLIAN SKINNER: I am very happy to let the constituents of the honourable member for Monaro and all members on the other side know that they do not think it is a priority matter. They do not think that we should debate why the Premier, the Minister for Health and members on that side should be condemned for allowing public health care in this State to be so run down. Public health care is a disgrace—hospital waiting lists, emergency departments, debts, hospitals that cannot afford to upgrade equipment and patients who have to bring in pillows. It is urgent. Debate it, if you have the guts. [Time expired.]

    Question—That the motion for urgent consideration of the honourable member for Murray-Darling be proceeded with—put.

    The House divided.
    Ayes, 47
            Ms Allan
            Mr Amery
            Ms Andrews
            Mr Bartlett
            Ms Beamer
            Mr Black
            Mr Brown
            Ms Burney
            Miss Burton
            Mr Campbell
            Mr Chaytor
            Mr Collier
            Mr Corrigan
            Mr Crittenden
            Mr Daley
            Ms D'Amore            		Mr Debus
            Ms Gadiel
            Mr Gaudry
            Mr Gibson
            Mr Greene
            Ms Hay
            Mr Hickey
            Mr Hunter
            Ms Judge
            Mr Lynch
            Mr McBride
            Mr McLeay
            Ms Meagher
            Ms Megarrity
            Mr Mills
            Mr Morris            		Mr Newell
            Mrs Paluzzano
            Mr Pearce
            Mrs Perry
            Ms Saliba
            Mr Shearan
            Mr Stewart
            Ms Tebbutt
            Mr Tripodi
            Mr Watkins
            Mr West
            Mr Whan
            Mr Yeadon
            Tellers,
            Mr Ashton
            Mr Martin

    Noes, 33
            Mr Aplin
            Mr Barr
            Ms Berejiklian
            Mr Cansdell
            Mr Constance
            Mr Debnam
            Mr Draper
            Mrs Fardell
            Mr Fraser
            Mrs Hancock
            Ms Hodgkinson
            Mrs Hopwood            		Mr Humpherson
            Mr Kerr
            Mr McTaggart
            Mr Merton
            Ms Moore
            Mr Oakeshott
            Mr O'Farrell
            Mr Page
            Mr Richardson
            Mr Roberts
            Ms Seaton
            Mrs Skinner            		Mr Slack-Smith
            Mr Souris
            Mr Stoner
            Mr Tink
            Mr Torbay
            Mr J. H. Turner
            Mr R. W. Turner
              Tellers,
              Mr George
              Mr Maguire
      Pair

      Ms KeneallyMr Piccoli

      Question resolved in the affirmative.

             Contact us | Job opportunities | RSS feeds | Site help
    Copyright & conditions of use | Privacy | Authorised user login