Page 3593 - Week 11 - Thursday, 16 November 2006
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An example given to me was that doctors quite often squeeze in patients. They may see a patient at 10 o’clock and the next booking is at 10.30, but a doctor may wish to see someone at 10.15. There were configuration issues with how the system actually resolved that. The doctors wanted to see the people. The system was a little inflexible about how that fitted in.
Those day-by-day issues have been resolved. I understand it has put an extra burden on staff, certainly in the cancer service and also in the outpatient booking systems, where they did need extra support to come in and resolve some of the realities of what happens in those places day by day that may not have fitted with the new system.
Everyone has worked really hard, in particular the staff at the hospital and the IT staff. The chief information officer’s team has been working tirelessly over a number of months to make sure that, where problems arise, they move very quickly to respond to them and fix them, where they can, or offer a longer-term solution, if that is the only solution to the issue that has been raised.
Overall, there have been teething issues with the system. But if the old system had fallen over, there was no way of fixing it. So the decision was taken to move ahead with the rollout of the new PAS system and work through some of the issues after 18 September, rather than wait longer and potentially be at risk with a system that could not be fixed if it broke down.
Environment—greenhouse gas emissions
DR FOSKEY: Mr Speaker, my question is to the minister for the environment and sustainability. It concerns the ACT’s reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. The minister would be aware that many US cities have responded to their national government’s refusal to ratify the Kyoto protocol by setting up programs to meet its targets themselves, and that the Labor Party nationally has promised to ratify the protocol if elected. Could the minister please advise the Assembly of the quantity of greenhouse gas emissions the ACT currently produces, the amount by which that has been reduced since the Kyoto protocol came into force, and if the ACT is meeting targets consistent with Kyoto.
MR SPEAKER: Before I go to Mr Hargreaves, the proper title for the minister is, of course, the Minister for the Territory and Municipal Services.
Mr Seselja: There is no minister for the environment.
DR FOSKEY: We were told that there is a minister for the environment.
MR SPEAKER: Not according to the administrative orders. It is one of the responsibilities of the Minister for the Territory and Municipal Services. I remind you of that because it may confuse those people who are listening and referring to the administrative orders.
DR FOSKEY: It is indeed confusing, Mr Speaker.
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