Page 518 - Week 02 - Wednesday, 23 March 2022
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That this Assembly:
(1) notes:
(a) defibrillators save lives. St John Ambulance estimates that each year more than 100 Canberrans’ lives could be saved from sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) if defibrillators were installed in ACT government schools and workplaces;
(b) currently there is no requirement for defibrillators in ACT government schools or workplaces;
(c) the cost of a defibrillator and installation is $2500. It would cost $250 000 to provide 100 defibrillators in government schools and workplaces (some schools have already installed them using their own limited funds);
(d) rolling out defibrillators in all government schools and workplaces is supported by St John Ambulance, Australian Red Cross and the Heart Foundation; and
(e) it is estimated more than 30 000 Australians suffer from SCA every year of which only five percent survive. The chances of survival decrease by up to 10 percent for every minute that passes; and
(2) calls on the ACT Government to:
(a) lead the nation on this important health and community issue by putting a defibrillator in every ACT government school and building/workplace;
(b) legislate to mandate defibrillators in all ACT government schools and government workplaces;
(c) prepare and deliver a public education campaign, in consultation with St John Ambulance and the Heart Foundation, to raise awareness of the use of (and access to) defibrillators to save lives; and
(d) examine installing defibrillators on all ACT buses (we already have defibrillators on our 14 trams thanks to funding from Rotary Gungahlin) and report back to the Assembly before the May sitting period.
I am pleased to introduce my first notice of motion as the ACT’s shadow health minister and raise an important health and community issue where this government has the opportunity to lead the nation with a life-saving initiative.
This motion is about sudden cardiac arrest and defibrillators. It is simple: calling on the government to install defibrillators in all government schools and government workplaces. I am also calling on the government to introduce legislation to mandate defibrillators in all government schools and workplaces, which would send a strong message to the community that this government values its staff—its teachers and public servants—and wants to save Canberrans’ lives.
I was shocked to learn defibrillators are not required in schools and government workplaces. Today my notice of motion gives the government an opportunity to rectify that, to lead the nation by ensuring life-saving equipment is accessible where we need it.
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