Page 3007 - Week 10 - Tuesday, 14 September 1993
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of recycling rather than tips, the Government will examine the prospect of charging tip fees for all users after introduction of the new arrangements. In addition, 1993-94 will see the release of a draft ACT environment strategy and the first report of the Commissioner for the Environment on the state of the ACT's environment.
The provision of quality health services is a major priority for the Government. Over recent years public health services have increased dramatically, with hospital admissions increasing by 5.3 per cent in 1992-93 alone. People receiving day-only care increased by 9.3 per cent. Considerable strides were made during the year to modernise the ramshackle financial system that characterised the health portfolio at the time of self-government. This will be continued in 1993-94 with the development of case-mix costing information.
In 1993-94 the Government will aim to maintain hospital services at last year's activity levels. Funding is being provided for some expansion and growth in community health and public health services. The hospital redevelopment project has passed the halfway mark, with over $100m being expended to date against the overall budget of $172m. The new diagnostic and treatment building, a major element of the redevelopment, will be commissioned in February 1994. With the progressive completion of the hospital redevelopment project, there is potential for further efficiency returns within the new facilities. Health services will be examined to identify areas where efficiencies can be made to continue bringing services more into line with national standards and national benchmarks. As part of this process, savings of $3m will be made in the health budget during 1993-94. The base funding level from which the savings will come includes provision for a projected further decline in private patient services in public hospitals.
Madam Speaker, the nature and delivery of education is changing. Social, environmental, technological and economic pressures are fuelling these changes. In order to deal with the challenges of educational reform, we will embark on wide-ranging community consultations to develop a long-term strategy for the future of ACT education. This process has already commenced with the release of a public discussion paper prepared by the Ministerial Advisory Council on Public Education. My colleague the Minister for Education will be making further announcements on this process over the next few weeks.
In forming our long-term budget strategy, we will also examine the Auditor-General's report on the performance of the government schooling program, which is to be tabled shortly. In our present situation, where the Commonwealth's $25m transitional funding for education is being phased out over the next four years, education cannot be quarantined from the need to reduce outlays. The $3.5m reduction for education contained in the budget is consistent with the effort expected of other programs.
However, in achieving these savings, the Government has been mindful of its commitment to social justice and of the need to protect schools to the greatest possible extent. The budget respects teachers' working conditions and maintains the quality of education. An important initiative in pursuit of excellence in our schools is a trial of national profiles as part of the national curriculum initiatives. These profiles provide a basis for better reporting of student achievement in ACT government schools.
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