Mr LEE —My question is directed to the Minister for Health and Family Services. Does the minister recall attending a meeting with state health ministers in November last year at which the states predicted a crisis unless the Commonwealth provided more money for public hospitals? Is the minister aware of reports that he tried to have the minutes of the meeting struck from the record? Did the minister try to suppress the minutes in any way and, if not, will the minister now agree to release the minutes of this health ministers meeting?

Dr WOOLDRIDGE —I do remember attending an informal meeting of health ministers in early November and there was a set of minutes taken. They were circulated some 3½ months after the event. Those minutes were exactly that—informal minutes of an informal meeting. The secretary to my department, on Tuesday, 25 February, phoned three state CEOs of health and the unanimous view of those four people was that, as it was just informal minutes of an informal meeting at which no decisions were made, they should not be part of any formal record. That decision was made without reference to me.

The secretary to the Australian Health Ministers Advisory Council, which is a group of officials, undertook to contact the other state CEOs. On the following day, Wednesday, my principal adviser wrote to state health ministers and their officers to inform them of what the CEOs had decided. This was done without reference to me.

I saw the minutes first on Wednesday night and I first found out on Wednesday night that my principal adviser had written a note. So I had nothing to do with attempting to strike the minutes from the record, as the shadow minister suggests. It was not my decision; it was the decision of officials. The article in the Australian was quite incorrect. The journalist in the Australian made no attempt to check the accuracy of the story with me before he wrote it.

I will give the shadow minister a bit of advice: your questions are very predictable because whenever a certain journalist is sniffing around looking for information you seem to pop up the next day and ask a question. I know things are tough in the opposition, but you do not have to resort to using journalists as research staff.