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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2004 Week 07 Hansard (Tuesday, 29 June 2004) . . Page.. 2943 ..

many ACT residents, particularly those in Tuggeranong and Belconnen. While the government is stalling on nurse practitioners, it is not offering any alternative solutions, such as the mooted reestablishment of a GP night clinic at the Canberra Hospital.

I am disappointed that there appears to be a growing inequity in funding between Calvary Public Hospital and the Canberra Hospital. The intensive care unit at Calvary urgently needs refurbishment. It has not been refurbished in the 25 years the hospital has been in operation. The hospital actually believed that it would see funding provided in this budget to help the project through, so it was sorely disappointed. Instead, a small number of intensive care units were added to the ICU at TCH. That is also an incredibly important initiative, but it is disappointing that an imbalance appears to be growing between the services offered at Calvary and the services offered at TCH.

It was, however, pleasing to see the inclusion of a number of very welcome initiatives in relation to the ACT Health portfolio, including the ones for the practice nurse for the Junction youth centre, the new breast care nurse positions and some programs targeted specifically at the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community. Those are areas that have needed work over a long period and it is pleasing to see some action finally being taken in relation to those issues.

Improved enforcement of tobacco legislation is being picked up by ACT Health. I think that that is a very important preventive health measure. We do need to target ways of enforcing the laws of the ACT in relation to the sale of tobacco to minors and I am pleased that the government, through this funding initiative, is finally taking up the ideas that I put forward two years ago about making this legislation work. A lot needs to be done in terms of preventive health, especially in relation to tobacco smoking, and it is something that needs to continue to be done.

In terms of public health services, it was of concern to see a marked reduction in education and training due to a shortage of health professionals in the territory. That is something that was covered briefly by the Estimates Committee. In terms of preventive health measures and public health measures, we need to continue to have strong education and training through our schools, through our workplaces and through to the community about how to look after yourself and how to take preventive care of yourself, be that safe sex messages or clean living messages. Those messages need to be put out there so we can actually reduce the impact on our critical care areas by supporting people through preventive health care.

The reduction in funding for the Community and Health Services Complaints Commissioner was picked up by the Estimates Committee, which raised concerns about it. Whilst the inquiry is ongoing into statutory authorities in the ACT, we need to continue to support the role of the Community and Health Services Complaints Commissioner. We hope that this minor reduction in funding will not impact on that work. We do not wish to see a reduction in the services provided and hope that in future years funding will be returned to that very important role, depending, of course, on the outcome of the statutory authorities review.

I turn quickly to community health services that are offered by the ACT government, especially women’s health services. We did get a commitment that Women’s Words would continue to operate. One thing of concern to come out of the budget papers was

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