Page 1657 - Week 07 - Tuesday, 29 May 1990
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
Hospital have been left idle for years through Commonwealth indecision; a system where years of neglect have left a need for massive capital investment; a system in which there is a huge backlog of maintenance work to be done; and a system where costs are out of control and where the Commonwealth had failed to address longstanding inefficiencies.
The implementation of the one principal hospital concept and the transfer of services from the Royal Canberra Hospital to the Woden Valley and Calvary Hospitals has been announced. The first of these transfers will occur in July with the movement of 60 beds from Royal Canberra to Calvary Hospital. Staff at Acton will be offered the opportunity to move with full preservation of their existing entitlements.
Our decision to establish a principal public hospital at Woden was a very difficult one - and Mr Berry would know how difficult the decision was because he could not bring himself to make it - but it was unavoidable. Development of the principal hospital at Woden will provide a full range of health services to the people of Canberra and the region at a price that this community can afford. We must now get on with developing two public hospitals of excellence, both well located to serve their respective catchment populations. The Minister for Health, Education and the Arts will make a statement on this matter later today if the Opposition will do him the courtesy of listening.
The Government has invited comment on the need to restructure the schools system by consolidating a number of our primary and high schools. This will cut the overheads of our school system but, more importantly, it will enable the Government to maintain and advance the quality of education. The alternative would be to face falling educational standards as we battle to spread available resources over too many schools with too few pupils.
In releasing for public comment our suggested criteria for a consolidation program, the Minister has demonstrated the Government's commitment to involving the community in the development of our educational strategies. Some constructive comment has already emerged, but not from the Opposition, I must say. We trust that the debate on these priorities will move constructively towards a shared realisation that all sectors of the community must contribute to a revitalised and socially responsible government.
Some time ago I also established a joint working party to review the provision and financial management of TAFE services in the ACT. The working party included business, union, TAFE management and student representation. The working party has recently submitted its report to me. Its recommendations point to further steps which can be taken to generate additional revenue, reduce costs and put
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .