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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1999 Week 12 Hansard (24 November) . . Page.. 3645 ..
Reduce class sizes to a maximum of 25 with priority being given in
the early years of education.
Allow disabled students to be successfully integrated into mainstream settings.
Improve community-based support to young children and families in crisis.
Support students "at risk" in high schools.
Improve the standards of school facilities.
Improve curriculum and teaching practices to increase the number of students successfully completing their education.
Provide adequate teaching salaries to attract and keep high quality, professional staff.
Petition received.
MR WOOD (5.59): Mr Speaker, pursuant to order, I present report No. 3 of the Standing Committee on Health and Community Care, entitled "Public Hospital Waiting Lists", together with the extract of the minutes of proceedings. I move:
That the report be noted.
Mr Speaker, the members of the committee noted at the time we took on this proposal that it was a very optimistic task. We were setting out to see if we could find some solution to long waiting times for entering into surgery in our public hospitals. I emphasise we note the word "times" rather than lists, and surely that is an optimistic task. Systems everywhere are trying to cope with long waiting times. You have only to follow the Sydney media in the last few weeks to see the troubles besetting our neighbours, and perhaps also the campaign being mounted in the New South Wales health system.
The entry to hospital for surgery, the pressure for entry, is increasing everywhere. Firstly, populations are more aware of what might be done. Our medical treatment might help them. There are also many more in the aged category, certainly in Canberra and elsewhere, who require treatment and for whom there are new treatments. There are also considerable advances in medical treatment to help people and in medical technology to help people.
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