Page 3711 - Week 12 - Thursday, 25 November 2021
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around the build-to-rent model, and a decision by the ACT government on a way forward, we will be able to provide information to the community about those other facilities that the Lawson community so dearly needs.
MR DAVIS: Minister, how is the government assessing the environmental values of the site, given its proximity to the critically endangered golden sun moth habitat?
MS BERRY: As with any project that the ACT government embarks on through the Suburban Land Agency along with the Planning Directorate, due diligence is conducted on that site, including environmental and cultural impacts of any developments, understanding the nature of the site. So, all of that will occur, and will continue to occur, as the development continues.
Alexander Maconochie Centre—COVID-19
MR BRADDOCK: My question is to the Minister for Corrections. Minister, can you please provide an update on the status of COVID within the AMC, and how this has been managed to protect detainees’ and guards’ health?
MR GENTLEMAN: I thank Mr Braddock for his question and his continued interest in the welfare of staff and detainees at AMC. COVID-19 has posed an unprecedented challenge across our entire community. Of course, AMC is no exception. There is no textbook or formula on how to respond to COVID-19 or, indeed, the pervasive Delta variant. It is an excellent outcome to have so far contained the spread of this highly infectious virus within AMC.
To date, a total of 10 detainees have tested positive to COVID-19 at AMC. Thankfully, they have all recovered. Each of these detainees was a new admission, and they have been isolated since admission. The current quarantine arrangements for new admissions will continue as is, for the foreseeable future.
As of 8 November 2021, 83 per cent of detainees have received their first vaccination, with 71 per cent fully vaccinated. So there has been a good uptake, and we will continue to encourage detainees to receive their vaccination if they have not already done so.
I want to thank staff for their professional work in responding to COVID-19. Staff have worked incredibly hard to keep AMC safe. Their success to date is a testament to the skill and expertise of ACT Corrective Services and ACT Health staff.
As you would be aware, COVID-19 restrictions in the ACT eased significantly several weeks ago, bringing us closer to a new normal. I understand that the Acting Commissioner of Corrective Services, Ray Johnson, has been working hard to translate these changes and determine their impact on the Corrective Services workplace at AMC. For example, while requirements on the use of face masks have eased in the community, staff at the CTU and AMC have been asked to continue wearing masks while at the workplace, in line with the high-risk setting. (Time expired.)
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