Page 3584 - Week 12 - Wednesday, 24 November 2021
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their chances of returning into incarceration. It is an essential way of ensuring that our justice system is restorative rather than a web that people cannot untangle themselves from. The transitional release centre has only had 13 applications, and to date only one has been approved. We would like to see eligibility for the program expanded and the centre being used to its full capacity as soon as possible.
Like Mr Cain, I am looking forward to certainty and transparency about the proposed reintegration centre, an initiative which was assessed and proposed as being one of the most effective ways to increase the capacity of the AMC whilst reducing recidivism.
Another policy I would like to see is further consideration of the needle exchange program in the AMC. We know that drug use is happening and that unsafe needle use can lead to the spread of bloodborne diseases. We know that needle exchange programs can keep drug users and those around them safe. A program that keeps both detainees and staff safe and acknowledges the reality of the complex entanglement of drug use and crime would be welcome.
Let me move to police and emergency services. On behalf of the ACT Greens, I would like to thank our first responders and everyone in the police and emergency services who contribute to making Canberra a safer community. The challenges of the past two years have been extreme. If it was not for their efforts, Canberra would be in a much worse place.
We have seen how a different policing approach can lead to radically different outcomes in different jurisdictions. I am grateful for the ACT Policing approach, working in collaboration with the community. I also welcome the investment in emergency services to help the ACT better prepare and respond to the more frequent and more extreme natural disasters that will accompany climate change. It is somewhat circular that emergency services, who will be so hard-pressed by climate change, are investing in nine low-emissions vehicles.
As a parochial local member, I welcome the investment in the Gungahlin Joint Emergency Services Centre to provide space for those services to operate and meet the rapidly increasing demand in the Gungahlin district due to its booming population.
We all know that ambulance fees are an issue that warrants further inquiry. Financial consideration should not apply when a purely medical decision is required—the decision as to whether one does or does not need an ambulance. There are significant parts of our community who do not have to worry about the cost of an ambulance, such as those lucky enough to have private health insurance or those who have met the range of circumstances where the fee is waived. But there is a significant proportion of our population who do. Any outlay on an ambulance weighs heavily on their minds when deciding whether to call—possibly wasting valuable time in which their condition may deteriorate, worsening their medical prognosis, prolonging recovery time, causing more stress when the bill arrives, and, eventually, costing the health system more in the long run.
Whilst it has not happened in Canberra, thank god, in other jurisdictions we have heard that COVID sufferers have died at home in isolation. I cannot help but wonder
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