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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1999 Week 11 Hansard (19 October) . . Page.. 3277 ..

MR WOOD: We will ask for the details of every dollar allocated. My supplementary question is: Minister, have a number of organisations been told by your department that they will not receive the supplementary funding for the pay and other increases they are legally required to pay and that instead they must fund the increases out of existing dollars by reducing staff hours worked and the level of service to clients and the community?

MR STEFANIAK: Mr Wood, I am interested in why you raise this now, unless you simply do not have too many questions that are worth asking and you are clutching at straws. There was a lot of consultation, a lot of assistance was given and a lot of reimplementation was done by agencies some time ago. It is interesting, Mr Wood, that this is not a particular problem which has been raised with government for many months.

One thing you might be interested in is that additional funding was available to purchase services at an increased cost in the substitute care area. The Government has a commitment to that under the Children's Services Act 1986. Accordingly, that was provided. You might recall that that was provided several budgets ago, Mr Wood. In areas of government where the SACS award was relevant, a range of things I have just gone through were put in place to assist agencies. The agencies have done a very good job in adjusting.

MR RUGENDYKE: My question is for the Health Minister, so I guess it is now for the Chief Minister. In regard to your proposed drug injecting room, what budget costings have been done, how much do you forecast it would cost the ACT taxpayers for the first year, and how much would it cost for a two-year period as proposed by Mr Stanhope?

MS CARNELL: My understanding is that the costs for the safe injecting place are about the half-million dollar mark, based upon the legislation put forward. As I am yet to be made totally aware of Mr Stanhope's recommendation or ideas, I simply cannot give you that information, but if Mr Moore can I am sure that he will.

MR RUGENDYKE: I ask a supplementary question. Chief Minister, how does the Government feel about Mr Stanhope and the Labor Party hijacking and taking over your drug injecting room agenda?

MS CARNELL: The Government is always happy to share good ideas.

I ask that all further questions be placed on the notice paper.

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