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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2004 Week 10 Hansard (Tuesday, 24 August 2004) . . Page.. 4037 ..

properly considered. At this stage, I am yet to make a final decision. I hope to do so very soon.

Calvary Hospital—psycho-geriatric facility

MS DUNDAS: Mr Speaker, through you, my question is to the Minister for Health. Minister, the public psychiatric ward at Calvary Hospital, ward 2CN, looks out on to some open space and has a garden where patients can sit. Concerns have been raised about plans to build a new psycho-geriatric facility next to ward 2CN, on the garden and the open space that is appreciated by in-patients of ward 2CN.

Are you aware of such a proposal for this site and the effect it will have on ward 2CN and are you aware of whether or not the community will be able to comment on the development in relation to the psycho-geriatric facility?

MR CORBELL: I thank Ms Dundas for the question. Yes, the government is, as it has already publicly announced, building a psycho-geriatric facility along with a subacute care facility on the campus of Calvary Public Hospital. The site has been identified on the campus of the hospital, after an extensive range of investigations. Both 2CH and Calvary Public were considered as sites for the facility.

Following that, the government is now in the process, through the department of health, of establishing the formal development proposal. That will, in the course of events, be notified, as is required under the land act. I am sure people will be able to comment through that process. In addition, if there are particular concerns in relation to the operations of existing parts of the hospital, the views of both patients and staff will need to be taken into account in terms of the location of that facility adjacent to existing buildings and operations. I will certainly pass Ms Dundas’s concerns on to my department for their investigation.

MS DUNDAS: Minister, has there been any discussion about allocating extra resources, be they monetary or land-wise, for Calvary so that the new psycho-geriatric ward can be developed without impacting on ward 2CN and the in-patients there?

MR CORBELL: Members need to appreciate that the psycho-geriatric facility is not a stand-alone facility; it is part of the subacute care facility that we are proposing to build at Calvary Hospital. That facility is a single building, but it has two discrete elements. I am not familiar with the specific design of that facility. I do not think that that has yet been finalised. I certainly have not been briefed on it.

I do not think I can add anything further to my previous answer, except to indicate to Ms Dundas that I am very happy to pass her concerns to officials of my department to ensure that issues raised by her constituents are properly taken into account.

Education—funding

MS MacDONALD: My question is to the Minister for Education and Training, Ms Gallagher. Minister, during the last election campaign Labor made a strong commitment to investing in and improving the education sector. For the information of

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