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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2004 Week 06 Hansard (Wednesday, 23 June 2004) . . Page.. 2484 ..

Maybe it is in Mr Smyth’s interest to stop the transitional care facility. I am sure he would be delighted to see continued problems in the emergency department, in access to elective surgery, in the lead-up to the election, because that, I am sure, suits his political motives. I am sure that he would be delighted to achieve that. But it is not in the best interests of the public hospital system; it is not in the best interests of those nursing home type patients who are currently sitting in acute care beds in our hospitals; it is not in the interests of supporting those staff who work in the emergency department of our hospitals; it is not in the interests of those staff who provide elective surgery services in our hospitals; it is not in the interests of those people who need those services every day of the week.

So, members, think again, because that is what is on the line: either a continuation of the existing level of service provision and rehabilitation and 40 new transitional care beds or the status quo and no transitional care facilities. That is what is on the line. I ask members to reconsider their support for this deeply flawed and seriously misjudged motion.

MRS CROSS (12.18): I will speak to Mr Smyth’s motion and the amendment. Firstly, I would like to commend Mr Smyth for this motion. It is good to see a responsible member in this place putting the community’s interests before his own, unlike on the pharmacy issue.

The rehabilitation independent living unit, RILU for short, was first built way back in 1996. It was the fledgling NRMA Road Safety Trust’s first major community project. The NRMA Road Safety Trust paid $799,000 to set RILU up. This $799,000 needs to be seen in the context of the times. It represents unparalleled community donations for a specific purpose.

The question has to be asked as to why the NRMA made such a significant contribution. The answer is: after death, the thing that plagues members of the NRMA is road accidents and trauma-related brain damage. A person who acquires brain damage through a traffic accident is in a truly difficult position.

MR SPEAKER: Order! Would you resume your seat, please. There is somebody filming from the gallery. That is not permitted.

MRS CROSS: A person who acquires brain damage through a traffic accident is truly in a difficult position. To the casual observer, they are the same person; but, in reality, everything about them has been altered by their injury. People with even a mild, acquired brain injury, ABI, can experience a dramatic personality change. For example, if the injury is to the frontal lobe of the brain, the injury often changes a person’s temperament. There are many examples of gentle, calm people turning into angry, difficult, even uncontrollable people after their injury. The point is that an ABI can totally change someone. Simple things from walking, to shopping, to bathing, to cooking can all be affected. These basic living skills that we all take for granted can be affected.

There is always a need for basic rehabilitation services. These are the areas that teach people who have been seriously injured how to walk again. Most of the profession of occupational therapy is based on the desire to help sick or injured people get well. This is

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