Page 2522 - Week 09 - Wednesday, 7 August 1991
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MR BERRY: Of course, women's health issues are a major priority for the Government, and clearly breast cancer is a target for action. The Federal Government has made some announcements in respect of that. However, the financial and program arrangements proposed by the Commonwealth may not be the most effective for the ACT. There are also divergent views about the efficiency of the screening strategy, particularly for women of different ages. As Mrs Nolan would know, it is more effective at some ages than it is at others.
The Government will be considering all of the relevant issues in respect of this as part of its budget considerations. But we would be faced with being locked into the provision of mammography programs by Commonwealth funding, in the first place, and we might then have to deal with the prospect of the Commonwealth withdrawing that funding and the ACT being left with the provision of the services. So, it is one that will take some working through. It is not something that we take lightly, because of our commitment to women's health issues. I think Mrs Nolan can be confident that the Labor Government will provide better services for women in this area and that we will be dealing with the issue of the mammography program very sympathetically as part of our budget considerations.
Ainslie Transfer Station
MR DUBY: Mr Speaker, my question is addressed to the Chief Minister, following her answer yesterday referring to the Ainslie tip and her announcement that that tip was to be reopened.
Mr Berry: Is that the old one or the new one?
MR DUBY: The Ainslie dump. I ask the Chief Minister: What are the capital costs involved in reopening the dump? What are the anticipated recurrent costs of operating the Ainslie dump? Could she tell me what contract arrangements have been entered into to operate that dump in the future and whether it is already a fait accompli?
MS FOLLETT: Mr Speaker, again I think I have answered this question already. I answered it yesterday in response to Mr Duby's supplementary question. I thought I made it quite clear that the Government is examining the Ainslie Transfer Station issue. In doing that, we are, firstly, committed to the reopening of the facility and, secondly, committed to doing that in the most cost-effective way. So, I am not able to tell Mr Duby the capital cost or the recurrent costs involved. I am able to say that, to the best of my knowledge, no contracts have been let. But I think the whole issue is one which Mr Duby might have to wait for the budget to examine in closer detail.
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