Wollongong Hospital Orthovoltage Machine

Mr SULLIVAN (Wollongong) [11.33]: I have two grievances relating to health in the Wollongong electorate that are causing great concern in that community. The first relates to an offer made by the trustees of the Illawarra cancer appealathon fund, which raised almost $3 million on two occasions during the past few years. The trustees have offered to pay for the installation of an orthovoltage machine in the cancer care centre at Wollongong Hospital. During the past few months the cost of the machine has escalated considerably. The original quote was $268,895; it is now $303,000. The difficulty is that the room in which the machine is to be installed has to be renovated. It is located in a new building where the lead lining in the room is only two millimetres thick, but needs to be a minimum of seven millimetres. The first renovations quote obtained from Medical Applications was $30,000. Subsequently the area health service obtained an opinion from the Public Works Department, which in June quoted $198,670, of which almost $57,000 relates to fees and commission payable to the department, and $142,000 for the actual work.

Originally the trustees were willing to pay for the machine and for the renovation of the room. The quote having increased to $200,000, the trustees have understandably baulked, particularly with regard to the $57,000 payable to the Public Works Department by way of commission and fees. Since then, Medical Applications has provided another quote, of $55,000, to fit out the room. The area health service in its reply to the trustees on 17th September, 1991, said that it cannot provide capital funding for the installation of the orthovoltage machine. The private contractor successfully completed the necessary renovation work and installed a similar machine at the Mater Misericordiae Hospital in Newcastle. However, apparently that contractor is unacceptable to install a similar machine in a purpose-built building in the Illawarra. The cancer centre, using a linear
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accelerator, treats on average 42 patients each day. Its optimum daily operating capacity is 37 patients. If the orthovoltage machine were installed, an average of 10 to 15 patients could be treated each day. That would allow the linear accelerator to be used effectively for its designated purpose as a curative tool in the treatment of cancer.

The purpose of an orthovoltage machine is basically to provide palliative treatment for patients whose cancer is at such a stage that they cannot be cured. This is an intolerable situation and it requires the intervention of the Department of Health. I suspect that the trustees would look favourably to increasing their offer of funding to $55,000 for the fitout. However, installation of the machine would require the approval of the area health service and the Department of Health. I ask the Minister for Health Services Management to intervene in the matter as it should be addressed as quickly as possible. It certainly should not be delayed until next year. My second grievance about health matters in the Wollongong electorate relates to a study of lead levels in residential areas immediately surrounding heavy industrial sites. The study was a joint project of the pollution task force, which comprised Healthy Cities Illawarra and the health promotion unit of the Illawarra Area Health Service, conducted under a joint research agreement between the area health service and the University of Wollongong.

Mr Phillips: On a point of order. The honourable member for Wollongong is a new member of the House -

Mr Beckroge: You would not have known if the Deputy Clerk had not told you.

Mr Phillips: After I sought advice, to check my facts. That is not an accusation you should make. The honourable member for Wollongong may not be aware that during the grievance debate a member is allowed to raise only one matter of concern. He is now speaking about a second matter.

Mr Hatton: On the point of order. I do not believe that to be the fact. On grievance matters honourable members can use the time allocated to them to raise a multitude of matters. That change was made quite some months ago.

Ms Machin: On the point of order. The honourable member for South Coast is not correct. Quite recently, as the Chair, I have made rulings, based on rulings of Speaker Rozzoli made in this and the last Parliament, to make it clear that during private members' statements and grievance debates members may raise only one subject concerning their electorate but may not canvass a range of issues.

Mr Hatton: Further to the point of order. I am quite certain that is not the case. It was made known to honourable members that in the 10 minutes allocated to members to make private members' statements they could raise a number of matters, provided the issues related to their electorate and were of concern to the members. On many occasions members have raised a number of matters in this debate. I am amazed that a point of order should be taken on a member who seeks to raise a number of matters on behalf of his electorate.

Mr Face: On the point of order. If the honourable member for Port Macquarie has ruled that members can raise only one subject in these debates, the Speaker may have to regard her ruling as setting precedent, because that rule was not applied when I or Speaker Kelly occupied the chair. The honourable member for Wollongong is attempting what I have been permitted to do and have done on numerous occasions. It is fundamentally a further erosion of honourable members' privileges.

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Mr Griffiths: That is nonsense. The honourable member should have a look at Speaker Kelly's rulings.

Mr Face: The Minister would not know what day it is.

Mr ACTING-SPEAKER (Mr Tink): Order! I call the honourable member for Charlestown and the Minister to order.


Mr Sullivan: On the point of order. Many of the people who use the linear accelerator at the cancer care unit suffer from this pollution by living in the industrial residential areas near the industry in question. This really is the curative side of the issue.


Mr ACTING-SPEAKER: Order! For the benefit of all members I shall restate some guidelines set down by Speaker Kelly, and adopted by Speaker Rozzoli, outlining the parameters of grievance debates. I shall then address the issue of the honourable member for Wollongong. Guidelines set down by Speaker Kelly reaffirm:

(1) Members should restrict themselves to matters of concern to themselves, their electorates or their community generally and should not ventilate inappropriate matters;

(2) Members must confine themselves to one subject of particular concern to them and their electorate. Members may not canvass a number of matters in one contribution, even though they had sufficient time in which to do so; and

(3) Members must not attack the conduct of other members under the guise of having a grievance noted.

The reference there is Speaker Rozzoli, 1988, No. 9, Hansard reference 17th November, 1988, at page 3682. In particular I draw to the attention of all honourable members in particular the second guideline. I ask the honourable member for Wollongong to bear those guidelines in mind. I will allow him some latitude, but he must then return to strict observance of the guidelines. I ask all subsequent contributors to the grievance debate to do likewise.


Mr SULLIVAN: Mr Acting-Speaker -


Mr ACTING-SPEAKER: Order! The honourable member's time for speaking has expired.


Mr GRIFFITHS (Georges River), Minister for Justice [11.43]: The honourable member for Wollongong perhaps has not been advised that, as a courtesy and for the productive disposal of private members' statements and grievance debates, it is usual practice for members to advise the Minister's office of the topic sought to be raised. This may enable the Minister an opportunity to provide a full and frank response. Because the honourable member for Wollongong, as a new member, has not received that advice from his colleagues, my office was not advised of this issue. Therefore, it is impossible for me to make a contribution to a matter of concern to the honourable member and his constituents. I shall undertake to seek advice and supply him with a full and frank answer. I hope that in future he and all honourable members will inform parliamentary ministerial staff of issues they wish to raise so that these debates may be much more constructive.


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