Mr Costello suggests that the building of dwellings may already be on the way back as a contributor to economic growth. Just why Australians decided to spend big on goods and, particularly, services during the March quarter is unclear. The Treasurer thought the consumption binge might reflect the flow-through to families of income tax cuts. Whatever the psychology of it, the evidence of a recovery of confidence is welcome. Especially for Mr Costello and his worried Coalition colleagues.
Hospital networking Listening to the experts seems to have worked.
Previous attempts by State governments to get the most of the Sydney hospital system have foundered on the resistance not only of community groups but of doctors and nurses objecting to changes imposed by politicians. This time, a committee of more than 40, headed by Professor Kerry Goulston, has come up with an ingenious but comprehensive plan to consolidate the strengths of Sydney's hospitals while closing some units in some hospitals. The NSW Health Minister, Mr Knowles, has welcomed the professionals' plan, as have the heads of the medical staff councils at 21 Sydney hospitals. The plan's success, however, will depend on public acceptance that the loss of some units in some hospitals will be more than made up by the strengthening of other units elsewhere and, crucially, that these improved centres can be accessed readily through networking between hospitals, so that all patients receive the best possible treatment. The plan does not mean any one hospital will be closed, but it does contemplate closing some units, such as the major trauma units at St Vincent's, Prince of Wales and Nepean hospitals, and kidney transplant units at Royal North Shore, St George and St Vincent's.