Page 2878 - Week 10 - Wednesday, 15 August 1990
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I would be very happy to supply the information on notice, but the nature of meetings of officers in my department is not a matter that I organise at ministerial level.
MR MOORE: I have a supplementary question, Mr Speaker. Minister, clearly the thrust of the question was to do with the need for a child psychologist to advise principals and to talk about the emotional upheavals experienced by individuals and so forth. Does this not verify that there will be significant emotional upheavals for individuals and communities? To what extent has this been taken into account in your school closure system?
MR HUMPHRIES: It is quite obvious that there will be some emotional upheavals involved in closing schools. The experience of closing five schools at the end of 1988 showed that there are such upheavals and that there are psychological needs to address at that time. Certainly, in the case of these closures it will be necessary for us to consider the special provision of counsellors to assist in overcoming these problems. However, they were overcome in 1988 and on previous occasions and I am confident we can overcome them again with a suitable allocation of resources. Those resources will be allocated and have been calculated into the costs of providing for new school shaping arrangements.
Public Hospital Redevelopment
MRS NOLAN: Mr Speaker, my question is also to Mr Humphries but this time in his capacity as Minister for Health. What progress has been made on the redevelopment of the public hospital system since the Minister's announcement of the Government's decision in March?
MR HUMPHRIES: I thank Mrs Nolan for her question and I am pleased to say that there has been considerable progress since the Government announced its reshaping of the hospital system.
Mr Berry: How many beds have closed at Royal Canberra?
MR HUMPHRIES: We have closed no beds at Royal Canberra, Mr Berry. The project director has been appointed since the last time this place met. Richard Glenn and Associates are now operating in a full-time capacity and planning for the entire project is well under way. Already many of the 50 or more working parties which have been established to assist every element of the planning process have been meeting on a regular basis and the planning and cooperation that has been forthcoming is very pleasing. Building contractors are on site at the Woden Valley Hospital undertaking the first package of works in what will be an ongoing program of upgrading and refurbishment over the next five or six years.
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