Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .

Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2004 Week 02 Hansard (Wednesday, 3 March 2004) . . Page.. 661 ..

Homes, it has been in the pipeline for years. If I were a suspicious person, I would imagine that it had been deliberately held back, callously so, so that this government could make some copy, some publicity and hopefully some votes out of suddenly announcing it in an election year. Naturally, I would be shocked if that were the case.

I have, however, come to the conclusion that Mr Corbell and the minister for the ageing, Mr Stanhope, really do not know what each other is doing. As evidence of that, I refer to a Council on the Ageing meeting held on Monday, 16 February at the Hughes community centre at which a case manager for older persons accommodation appointed by the Chief Minister a month and a half ago, on his own admission, addressed the COTA people. I do not know whether Mr Corbell is aware of this case manager appointed by Mr Stanhope, but he had some very interesting things to say.

Mrs Dunne: The Chief Minister is second-guessing what Simon Corbell does.

MR CORNWELL: Indeed. He had some very interesting things to say, Mrs Dunne. He said that it is his job when a service provider first comes forward regarding a new proposal for aged care accommodation, realising that they do not have knowledge of building and planning processes—indeed, in this city, who does?—to assess the viability of the proposal before planning is involved. I wish the man luck. He really has taken on a considerable challenge.

He pointed out that the land release program, as quoted by Mr Corbell, was under way in Fadden, Gowrie, Belconnen, Gordon, Nicholls, Greenway, Monash. We have had all of these promises but none has been fulfilled. Not a brick has been laid, no foundations have been dug. However, the government, Mrs Dunne will be happy to know, is also developing the O’Connell Education Centre in Griffith and the old Joint Emergency Services Centre site in Curtin. That is news, I am sure, to the residents around section 78 Griffith and at Curtin.

Mrs Dunne: Section 78 Griffith!

MR CORNWELL: Yes, we are revisiting the song. Some 700 to 1,000 beds will be provided at those sites and there is a need to pressure the Commonwealth on the funding. Why? This government already has 255 beds that it has not taken up. Why on earth should the Commonwealth turn round and provide for more beds which presumably will not be taken up? I presume that because the evidence is here that the ACT government has not yet actioned the 255 beds that it has been given.

You will be pleased to know that, of those 255, 14 are under construction, 210 will be commenced this year and 80 will be completed this year. Then there are to be 50 transitional care beds. I am a bit confused here because when I went to school 14, 210, and 50 did not work out to be 255, but never mind. The transitional beds, presumably, are not a part of these numbers because they are going to be taken from existing beds which will be leased to the ACT government—borrowed, that is—to provide this transitional care. Why? If the government had done its job in the first place, there would not need to be any transitional beds.

However, be that as it may, at least we are relieving some pressure. You will be pleased to know, Mrs Dunne, that the proposals for the O’Connell Education Centre and the

Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .