Page 3980 - Week 13 - Tuesday, 12 December 2006
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Question resolved in the affirmative.
Supplementary answers to questions without notice
Transport—demand responsive
Housing—multiunit properties
MR HARGREAVES: On 23 November, Mr Pratt asked about demand-responsive transport and the number of accreditation applications. The answer to the member’s question is as follows: the Road Transport Authority, the RTA, has not received any applications for accreditation as a demand-responsive service operator. At the commencement of the demand-responsive services legislation, the RTA sent application packages to local operators, including at least one operator who had indicated a strong desire to operate services under this legislation.
Mr Speaker, during the Assembly’s last sittings, Dr Foskey asked me a question without notice on fire-related issues at multiunit properties. In response, I advised the Assembly that all of Housing ACT’s multiunit properties comply with the fire provisions of the Building Code of Australia. I would like to take the opportunity to correct the response and make clear the situation.
The building code is continually being revised and amended and, as a consequence, many buildings in the ACT and across the rest of Australia do not comply with current requirements. There are processes in place whereby significant upgrades or expenditure on a building trigger a requirement to upgrade to current BCA standards. Notwithstanding this, housing and community services does work to ensure that the buildings do remain safe, as can be seen in the progressive upgrading of the fire safety capacity of many of the multiunit sites.
Total expenditure on fire safety to date amounts to $14.4 million. Works have been carried out at a range of multiunit properties. Dwellings in O’Connor, Kaleen and Narrabundah that house residents with limited mobility have also received fire safety improvement works. Work on Illawarra Court in Belconnen is nearing completion and a fire safety program for future sites is being finalised. Mr Speaker, I trust that I have now clarified the issues for Dr Foskey.
Hospitals—overcrowding
MS GALLAGHER: On 22 November 2006, Mr Smyth asked me whether the management staff went to the emergency department before they cancelled a code yellow “or did they just do it from their ivory tower?” The answer to that is that the situation was assessed by a member of the hospital management who attended the ED after receiving notification on a mobile phone. The code yellow was called off by the nursing coordinator on duty at the time and this action was supported by the manager responsible for the internal disaster response plan.
Papers
Mr Speaker presented the following papers:
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