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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 9 Hansard (27 August) . . Page.. 2606 ..

MS TUCKER (continuing):

There was no consultation. The union were unaware of it, as were the occupational health and safety delegates in the houses. Apparently, this policy has been withdrawn and another draft policy is being circulated and, for the first time, staff in this area are being consulted. Can you please explain why there was no policy in place until I started asking questions and why senior bureaucrats were unaware of the contents of the first flawed policy which has been withdrawn?

MRS CARNELL: As Ms Tucker has said, our policy has recently been revised - that is, in August 1996 - to comply with "Infection Control in the health care setting - Guidelines for the Prevention of Transmission of Infectious Diseases". That is a National Health and Medical Research Council, NHMRC, and Australian National Council on AIDS publication of April 1996. What we have is the NHMRC and the ANCA, in a joint publication in April 1996, bringing down some guidelines. Between April and August is not such a bad timeframe for us to bring down a revised approach by the ACT Government. We have done that in line with those two national publications.

Professional advice from occupational health and safety specialists has been sought in the revision of the policy, and consultation with relevant unions and staff has occurred, Mr Speaker. The ACT Community Care Service's Infection Control Committee is the forum through which the specialist advice has been provided and where draft versions of the revised policies have already been tabled. Far from it not having gone through a process at all, a process certainly has been gone through, and Ms Tucker may have been better advised to talk to the ACT Community Care Service's Infection Control Committee. The August 1996 infection control policy covers the legislative framework for infection control, exclusion and inclusion principles, infection control procedures for the workplace, including the management of laundry and contaminated linen, disposal of sanitary waste and occupational exposure. The policy provides staff with the contact telephone numbers for the ACT Government disease control section and the sharps hotline for advice on high-risk or emergency situations.

The disability program encourages staff to protect themselves from infection. Hepatitis B vaccines are available from the Canberra Hospital staff clinic for staff at no charge, and the disability program provides supplies of the necessary protective gloves, detergent, disposable paper towelling for hand washing and cleaning surfaces and plastic aprons for sorting and washing soiled linen and clothes. Mouthguards and face shields are provided for protected mouth-to-mouth resuscitation under circumstances where that is required. The principle in the disability program is that ongoing information sessions are run to reinforce policies and to keep staff up to date on changes. All new staff are provided with policy guidelines. Information sessions for staff on the revised infection control policy have been arranged and copies will be available for access by all staff and, of course, by parents as well.

MR SPEAKER: I call Ms Tucker to ask a supplementary question.

MS TUCKER: Apparently, this is a revised policy which none of the union or occupational health and safety delegates were aware of. I would like to actually see the policy that it is a revision of. My supplementary question is: Can the Minister, then, acknowledge that, as this policy has just come into place, her department has failed in its duty of care to staff and clients to this point?

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