Wednesday, 9 March 2022

Elective surgery waiting lists

Ms KEALY (Lowan) (14:10): My question is to the Minister for Health. Can you confirm that Victoria’s elective surgery waiting list has recently surpassed 100 000 people?

Mr FOLEY (Albert Park—Minister for Health, Minister for Ambulance Services, Minister for Equality) (14:11): Can I thank the member for Lowan for her question. It is not dissimilar to the questions that she raised at the recent pandemic oversight committee, making the issue that this government is a part of the most transparent, accountable system in the country, if not the world. This is a government that brings an open book of participation and accountability to these issues, and as I explained to the honourable number only last Friday—and I would refer her back to that record—these figures are released independently from government on a quarterly basis. The most recent quarterly report indicated, as we know, a figure of about 80 000 or 81 000—

Mr Andrews: What was it in New South Wales?

Mr FOLEY: In New South Wales in fact it was much closer to 100 000, about 95 000 or 97 000. So in regard to this timetabling for—

Ms Kealy: On a point of order, Speaker, on relevance, my question was specific: has the waitlist recently surpassed 100 000 people? It is a yes or no question. Would the minister please respond in that way? It is very straightforward.

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Order! Rather than single members out for individual warnings I am going to warn all members in the chamber that if they continue to shout across the chamber they will be removed without further warning, particularly while I am trying to rule on matters. The minister is well known for giving fulsome answers, but I do ask the minister to come to answering the question.

Mr FOLEY: Thank you for that compliment, Speaker. I take it as it was meant, as a compliment, because as I was indicating, this is a government that is accountable and transparent. Contrast that to other governments that Victoria has had in recent times, where this material was kept in a locked safe in the former minister’s office that he would not even share with his department. So I am not going to take lessons from this lot when it comes to accountability and transparency.

Ms Kealy: On a point of order, Speaker, I think the minister knows that question time is not an opportunity to attack the opposition. I ask you to bring him back to the question. Are there more than 100 000 Victorians on the elective surgery waiting list? He is the minister. This is information he should know. It is yes or no.

The SPEAKER: I understand the point of order. The minister was referring to the actions of a previous government, but he should come back to answering the question.

Mr FOLEY: Again thank you, Speaker, and I will make sure I follow your rulings. These measures, these quarterly published measures that are released by an independent agency, will be released by that agency. That agency is not the minister. That agency is not in the minister’s office. When that data is collated by the 80-plus health services with that agency it will be released, as it is every quarter by this government, which delivers the most transparent, accountable system of reporting in health matters that we have seen. As we know, the most recent figures are on the public record, and when the next quarter’s figures are released they too will be on the public record. I urge the honourable member to await those quarterly released figures, which will be rolling around in the not-too-distant future.

Ms KEALY (Lowan) (14:14): Last week health department secretary Euan Wallace gave the Pandemic Declaration Accountability and Oversight Committee an answer to the direct question: ‘is there a plan to reduce the elective surgery waitlist?’. He said:

Not currently.

Can you confirm that you have no current plan or target to get 100 000 Victorians off the elective surgery waiting list?

Mr FOLEY (Albert Park—Minister for Health, Minister for Ambulance Services, Minister for Equality) (14:15): The honourable member’s question falls at the first hurdle. In fact it is not factual—indicating that there is a waiting list of the figure that she asserts is totally a figment of the honourable member’s imagination. It bears no relationship to the evidence and the fact that the most recent figure that has been released by the health agency is on the record. This government having, again on public health advice, now returned to 100 per cent surgery in categories 2 and 3 in the private sector and returned to full surgery in the public sector is—

Ms Kealy: On a point of order, Speaker, the minister is avoiding the question. The question was specific to the Secretary for the Department of Health giving evidence last sitting week to say there is no current plan or target to address Victoria’s 100 000 people on the waiting list. I asked the minister to confirm that information as asked.

The SPEAKER: Order! Points of order are not an opportunity to repeat the question. The minister is being relevant to the question that was asked.

Mr FOLEY: Thank you, Speaker. So in partnership with the private sector and in partnership with our hardworking clinicians and public health sector employees we are determined to reduce these waiting lists, and we will.