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Canberra Today 11°/15° | Saturday, March 30, 2024 | Digital Edition | Crossword & Sudoku

There’s hanging around and there’s hanging around

IN ACT politics, context appears to be in the eye of the beholder.

“I HAVE hung around [citynews.com.au emphasis] because I genuinely want to see the reform and I support the work that’s being done.”

That’s what Chief Minister Katy Gallagher told the Public Accounts Committee yesterday afternoon during her evidence regarding the data-doctoring scandal at the Canberra Hospital.

The Liberal Opposition has come galloping out with an insistent press release,

Chief Minister Katy Gallagher says an increase in rates is "a standard practice"
Chief Minister Katy Gallagher.
with direct quotes and capital letters, asserting the Chief Minister said: “I’ve hung around too long”.

“Health Ministers have a very short life expectancy and I have hung around [citynews.com.au emphasis] perhaps too long in this instance and, at times, I think that,” they also quote her as saying.

Quick as a wink the irrepressible opposition health spokesman Jeremy Hanson says: “This is one area where I agree with the Chief Minister.

“After six years as Health Minister, her legacy is a hospital system in crisis, with the auditor-general finding a 10-year decline in emergency department performance, massive fabrication of results to make waiting times appear better, allegations of managerial pressure and serious privacy breaches of clinical health details.

“If Katy Gallagher herself considers that she has ‘hung around perhaps too long’ as Health Minister, then what faith can the community have in her as their Health Minister?”

Not so, counters the Government spokesman, accusing the Liberals of quoting out of context, saying: “ACT Chief Minister and Minister for Health Katy Gallagher makes no apology for having more staying power than the typical health minister and being committed to getting on with the job.”

 

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Thank you,

Ian Meikle, editor

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