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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2004 Week 07 Hansard (Wednesday, 30 June 2004) . . Page.. 3099 ..

some action. We want her to demonstrate clearly that core values are being taught at our schools.

Motion negatived.

Adjournment

Motion (by Mr Quinlan) proposed:

That the Assembly do now adjourn.

Calvary Hospital

MRS DUNNE (6.49): I pay tribute to Calvary Hospital’s 25 years of service to the Belconnen and wider community. On Saturday night I was privileged to be amongst a large gathering at the Convention Centre at Calvary Hospital’s Silver Anniversary celebration. Calvary Hospital, which has been part of the Belconnen landscape for 25 years, is becoming increasingly important in the ACT community as the centre of Canberra. Its catchment area is extending to the north with the growing suburbs of Gungahlin feeding into its services.

The hospital does a fantastic job. The Little Company of Mary has created an ethos—I was going to say a set of values, but perhaps I should not do so in the current climate—at Calvary Hospital. It is an institution that is loved by many people in the community. The hospital, which does fantastic work across all its specialities and in its accident and emergency department, provides essential services to the people of Belconnen and Gungahlin. Calvary Hospital now services 48 per cent of all accident and emergency patients, which shows just how important it is.

I have often been struck by the fact that Calvary Hospital is never referred to on the front pages of the newspapers for the wrong reasons. I do not know whether that is as a result of good luck or good management but I suspect that it is a commitment to hard work by medical staff. On Saturday it was a great privilege to spend the evening at the Convention Centre amongst staff, people on the board and people on the auxiliary who are so committed to furthering Calvary’s influence in the community and providing services to the community.

Calvary Hospital is keen to extend its services to a wider number of people. On Saturday night we discussed amongst ourselves the fact that paediatric services are not available at Calvary Hospital but, because of the high presentation of children at its accident and emergency department, it has to provide a paediatric registrar. However, there is no area to which to admit those children. Several years ago conventional wisdom established that it was too expensive to have paediatrics on two campuses in the ACT. That was certainly conventional wisdom 10 or more years ago, but that may no longer be the case. For the benefit of the people of Belconnen and Gungahlin it might be time to explore this issue again.

People at Calvary are saddened about the length of time it has taken to progress the establishment of an aged care facility in Bruce. Members on this side of the chamber have spoken often about the three or more years that it has taken to obtain a lease, but no

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