Page 3211 - Week 09 - Tuesday, 18 August 2009
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up an anonymous email account for staff to ask questions around the move. They are producing a newsletter on a fortnightly basis. The working groups are meeting regularly. The Health Care Consumers Association and a number of disability groups—People with Disabilities ACT Inc—and Disability ACT are involved in the steering group that is now looking at this matter.
I can certainly assure the member that we are not trying to make it harder for people to get to these services. We are actually trying to make it easier and more convenient for people. Until all of those Is are dotted and Ts are crossed consultation and negotiation will continue, but very much with a view to making it easier, quicker and, hopefully, more convenient in the long run.
MR SPEAKER: Ms Bresnan with a supplementary question.
MS BRESNAN: Thank you, Mr Speaker. Given transport is such a concern, why did the ACT government believe it was beneficial for people with a disability to move these disability equipment services away from a transport hub?
MS GALLAGHER: The idea behind it again was not about making it inconvenient or moving people away from a transport hub. It was in response to quite a bit of feedback around the inconvenience of having to visit a number of services across ACT Health, whether it is in Holder, whether it is in hospital or whether it is at Weston.
The opportunity of Village Creek school, the old Village Creek school, presented a genuine opportunity to collocate all of those services into one place with convenient parking. We are talking to ACTION around the relocation of a bus stop and the timetabling of buses visiting that service. It is about five kilometres away from Weston, I understand.
The decision also is part of the bigger Health redevelopment. Unless we move out some services from the hospital to Village Creek, we cannot establish the nurse-led walk-in clinics. In order to decant a number of services from the hospital we will need facilities such as Weston. So it is not that the Weston Independent Living Centre will not be used. It will be used by another part of ACT Health.
But this was not driven by trying to make it inconvenient or removing people with a disability from a transport hub. It was around trying to make sure that all of the services we provide to clients at the aged care and rehabilitation service can be put together and the service facilitated in a way that maximises the experience for people who are using it.
As I said, until we have convinced people, particularly people using the service, that we can address all their concerns, we will not finalise the details of the relocation. But I am very confident that we can address all of the concerns over the next few weeks.
Alexander Maconochie Centre—death in custody
MR HANSON: My question is to the Minister for Corrections and relates to the death in custody of a remandee at the Alexander Maconochie Centre. Minister, can you
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