The Minister for Health rejects an offer for a second-hand MRI scanner for Princess Margaret Hospital, accusing the opposition of a 'grubby little blackmail deal' and stating it would deny children the equipment they deserve. The Minister refers to a pending committee decision regarding the need for a new scanner.

AnsweredQoN 815Legislative Assembly
Asked
21 March 2002
Member
Portfolio
Health

QuestionView source ↗

I have a supplementary question. Will the minister stop playing politics and accept that generous offer to provide a machine in Western Australia? Mr KUCERA

AnswerView source ↗

The member for Murdoch is asking me to accept a second-hand grubby little deal for the children of this State. He is trying to blackmail all the members who sit on the government benches into accepting a second-hand deal. The member for Murdoch’s federal colleague Senator Kay Patterson said yesterday that the committee, which has already said that our children have a 10 per cent greater need, will meet in two weeks. How could I or the Government face the children of this State if I signed a grubby little blackmail deal like that? If, in two weeks, that committee agreed that Princess Margaret Hospital for Children needed a magnetic resonance imaging scanner and offered us a machine, I would have to admit that I followed one of the Opposition’s typical backroom deals. I would be denying the children of this State the equipment that they truly deserve. The member for Murdoch is a disgrace.
Mr KUCERA replied: The member for Murdoch is asking me to accept a second-hand grubby little deal for the children of this State. He is trying to blackmail all the members who sit on the government benches into accepting a second-hand deal. The member for Murdoch’s federal colleague Senator Kay Patterson said yesterday that the committee, which has already said that our children have a 10 per cent greater need, will meet in two weeks. How could I or the Government face the children of this State if I signed a grubby little blackmail deal like that? If, in two weeks, that committee agreed that Princess Margaret Hospital for Children needed a magnetic resonance imaging scanner and offered us a machine, I would have to admit that I followed one of the Opposition’s typical backroom deals. I would be denying the children of this State the equipment that they truly deserve. The member for Murdoch is a disgrace.
The member for Murdoch is asking me to accept a second-hand grubby little deal for the children of this State. He is trying to blackmail all the members who sit on the government benches into accepting a second-hand deal. The member for Murdoch’s federal colleague Senator Kay Patterson said yesterday that the committee, which has already said that our children have a 10 per cent greater need, will meet in two weeks. How could I or the Government face the children of this State if I signed a grubby little blackmail deal like that? If, in two weeks, that committee agreed that Princess Margaret Hospital for Children needed a magnetic resonance imaging scanner and offered us a machine, I would have to admit that I followed one of the Opposition’s typical backroom deals. I would be denying the children of this State the equipment that they truly deserve. The member for Murdoch is a disgrace.

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