Mr NATHAN REES: I am delighted to provide additional information in respect of the question asked earlier by the member for North Shore. As part of the 2008 Commonwealth Government's additional funding for elective surgery, a further $43 million was allocated for elective surgery in New South Wales to reduce the number of patients overdue for elective surgery. I am happy to advise that for December 2008 all area health services have reported a significant reduction in long waits and overdue patients. Area health services have also achieved significant reductions in overdue surgical patients in the 90-day category. In December 2008, 178 patients were overdue in that category, a staggering reduction of 4,908 from 2007; that is a 96 per cent reduction.

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for North Shore will cease interjecting.

Mr NATHAN REES: That is a 96 per cent reduction of overdue patients in the 90-day category. New South Wales was the best-performing State in Australia, with 12,000 additional patients treated as a result of Commonwealth funding.

Question time concluded.