Mr. Watson questions the Minister for Health about potential closures of Patient Assisted Travel Scheme (PATS) offices in regional WA, alleging a 'secret plan'. The Minister denies the accusation, leading to a heated exchange and point of order regarding parliamentary language.

AnsweredQoN 648Legislative Assembly
Asked
20 August 2009
Portfolio
Health

QuestionView source ↗

PATIENT
ASSISTED TRAVEL SCHEME — OFFICE CLOSURES
648. Mr P.B. WATSON to the Minister for Health:
As a supplementary question, will
the minister provide a list of the PATS offices that he will close in regional
Western Australia, and is this just part of a secret plan for the health
services in regional Western Australia?

AnswerView source ↗

I laughed when I saw the young whippersnapper's press
release.
Several members interjected.
Dr
K.D. HAMES : The secret Liberal plan to close the PATS offices! The secret
Liberal plan was started in 2004 by the former government. How secret is that?
Several members interjected.
Point of Order
Mr W.J. JOHNSTON : Point of
order.
The SPEAKER : If
members want to call a point of order, they have to stand and yell, ''Point
of order.''
Mr W.J. JOHNSTON :
I did.
The
SPEAKER : Perhaps the members on his side should cease interjecting
when one of their own members tries to make a point of order. I will now take
the member's point of order.
Mr
T.R. Buswell interjected.
The
SPEAKER : I formally call the Treasurer for the first time.
Mr
W.J. JOHNSTON : The Minister for Health referred to the member for Kwinana
by a name other than his seat. He should refer to the member by his correct
title.
Dr K.D. HAMES : Further to that,
I recollect that I did not call him ''wet behind the ears''; I
think I called him the wet-behind-the-ears member. That is a descriptive term,
not a name.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : That
concludes question time.

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