Page 3811 - Week 13 - Tuesday, 30 November 2021
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Minister for Mental Health) (10.07): As Minister for Mental Health, I am pleased to be able to speak to the petition brought by Dr Paterson. The petition refers to the eating disorder position statement which was presented to the Assembly on 25 October 2018. I look forward to, at some point, being able to provide an update on that position statement and updating the Assembly on the actions that have been taken and are in progress to address eating disorder treatment in the ACT. The residential treatment centre that was mentioned earlier is expected to fill a critical gap between inpatient hospitalisation and outpatient programs to provide an opportunity for a more intensive psychological recovery and improved integration of services.
At the heart of this petition are calls for better services for people with eating disorders and their families and carers in the ACT. This is a call the ACT government understands. It is committed to improving eating disorder services in the ACT, across the full spectrum of care, so that we can provide the best treatment and care for people with eating disorders when they need it and where they need it.
There are several key services that are operational or in development. I am looking forward to providing an overview of each of the programs and their contribution to the eating disorder spectrum of care within the ACT. I am very encouraged by how much work has progressed throughout the project to date. I acknowledge the importance of establishing new models of care and services that reflect the evidence base to support people with an eating disorder.
There are a number of interventions that I have talked about previously in this place and that I look forward to providing updates on at a future date, but I would like to reiterate our commitment to making these services operational as soon as possible and the ongoing funding that has been provided in the current ACT budget. There are a number of programs, including an early intervention program and a parenting group, providing support to people while we continue to work on the development of the residential care centre.
I would also like to speak briefly to the petition regarding multi-use indoor sports courts in the Woden town centre. It will come as a surprise to nobody in this place that I am a keen supporter of community supports facilities, having advocated for multi-use indoor sports courts in the Woden town centre for many years. I am sure Minister Rattenbury has very fond memories of my advocacy on this in 2014 when he was the Minister for Sport and Recreation. Former Murrumbidgee MLA Caroline Le Couteur was a great partner in advocacy for indoor sports courts in Woden during the Ninth Assembly.
With the loss of the former Southern Cross Club basketball courts in Woden, as well as the CIT sports hall, there has been increasing pressure on school sports halls and other small community halls over the past six years. Many small volunteer-run community groups are forced to book sports courts further afield, such as in Tuggeranong, Belconnen or Queanbeyan. Nearby Weston Creek is also feeling the pressure on its community sports facilities, particularly with the growing population in nearby Molonglo Valley, which does not yet have its own sports and recreation facilities, other than being able to book the Charles Weston School hall.
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