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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 7 Hansard (20 June) . . Page.. 1957 ..

MRS CARNELL (continuing):

This, therefore, will be a good outcome for staff and improve certainty and predictability in services. I also expect the board to be highly cost-effective and to more than pay its way through improvements in efficiency, effectiveness, quality and customer focus for our health and community care services.

As I said at the outset, this Bill will provide an opportunity for a new beginning for health and community care in the ACT. We are introducing a range of reforms to improve our services, including the recruitment of new chief executives and senior executives, new management arrangements, financial management reforms, purchaser-provider and adoption of casemix as both a management tool and a funding tool. It is an opportunity to improve the image, perception and realities of our health and community care services and it is one that I hope our staff, the ACT community and members of the Legislative Assembly grasp and pursue positively.

As a further sign of the reforms we are introducing and to mark this new start, from 1 July the Woden Valley Hospital will be renamed the Canberra Hospital. Woden Valley Hospital is a principal tertiary teaching hospital and is the major hospital for Canberra and south-eastern New South Wales. To reflect this status, the Government has agreed to a suggestion by many staff at the hospital that it should assume the title of the Canberra Hospital. It is no longer the hospital for the Woden Valley; rather, it is the Canberra hospital for the people of the ACT and the Canberra region. Again, it reflects the maturity of our health services and of the Canberra community in general. This legislation, therefore, is an important component of a major change in their health and community care process which is continuing under this Government and which should reap significant benefits for the community. I commend this Bill to the Assembly.

Debate (on motion by Mr Berry) adjourned.

MRS CARNELL (Chief Minister and Minister for Health and Community Care) (10.45): I present the Health and Community Care Services (Consequential Provisions) Bill 1996, together with its explanatory memorandum.

Title read by Clerk.

MRS CARNELL: Mr Speaker, in my previous speech, I addressed the issues that are involved in this Bill. I move:

That this Bill be agreed to in principle.

Debate (on motion by Mr Berry) adjourned.

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