Page 2389 - Week 07 - Thursday, 4 August 2022
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things in there that reflect the ACT government’s commitment to safe and supportive workplaces. Obviously, a 24/7 environment requires people to do shiftwork. That is part of the nature of working as a nurse or midwife—that it is a 24/7 environment in a hospital. That can create real challenges for people.
That is one of the reasons that our hospitals also have been working to ensure that people who have leave booked, for example, are able to take that. In fact, I was in the hospital just the other day, talking to a nurse on one of the wards who was about to go on leave and really looking forward to that opportunity.
MR COCKS: Minister, what action are you taking right now to ensure that nurses have proper breaks?
MS STEPHEN-SMITH: I thank Mr Cocks for the supplementary question. This is a regular conversation with both Canberra Health Services and Calvary Public Hospital around the wellbeing of our nurses and midwives, ensuring that those requirements in the workplace are met. They have regular consultative committees with their union representatives as well. We certainly encourage staff, if they are experiencing these kinds of challenges, to escalate that to their manager, and through their manager, so that those issues can be addressed. As I said, it is a regular conversation.
I can give you one example. Canberra Health Services has been working very closely with the Chief Minister’s directorate to look at how we can streamline recruitment processes so that we can recruit more quickly to those frontline positions. We also have made a massive investment in new allied health staff. We made a massive investment in the healthcare workforce through the budget, but one of those areas in particular is allied health staff. We know we have challenges in recruiting nurses, midwives and sometimes doctors. In allied health we are very confident that we can get these staff into the hospital. We can improve their capacity to support not only patients and their experience but also the other staff, as part of a multidisciplinary team.
Budget—sport and recreation
MR DAVIS: My question is to the Minister for Sports and Recreation. Minister, I was delighted to see that $64,000 was allocated for early indoor sports centre planning in the recent budget. While I welcome this investment, I do remain concerned that, without a proper infrastructure plan for sports and recreation in the ACT, this money will not go where it is needed the most. Does the ACT government intend to finish developing a detailed facilities management plan as agreed to by the Assembly in my motion of last April?
MS BERRY: Yes.
MR DAVIS: When can the community expect the release of the finalised facilities management plan?
MS BERRY: When it is completed. But, of course, we are working with sports organisations on the sports strategy, and we are continuing that work. We will have a draft available soon to work through with sports—
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