Page 3033 - Week 07 - Thursday, 1 July 2010
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IPTAS is the only government subsidy offered to patients that travel interstate for treatment. Patients are considered under IPTAS if they are not eligible to receive benefits through the Department of Veterans Affairs repatriation transport scheme, private health insurance, third party insurance or WorkCover. Interstate travel for access to healthcare is not an issue that affects the ACT community as much as it does other communities of Australia.
We review IPTAS every year and the ACT, from memory, next to WA provide the highest reimbursement amounts when compared to other jurisdictions. We might be second or third. I support IPTAS becoming a national scheme. Indeed, I have written to the federal minister for health over this since my return from leave, asking that we do work together to find a national position on IPTAS because I think it would be incredibly sensible to have one.
In relation to the request that I advise when the staff shortages will be resolved and almost all patients suffering from cancer in the ACT will again be able to be treated locally, I can advise that a recruitment process to fill the vacant radiation therapist position was held as soon as the vacancies were identified, and radiation oncology successfully recruited against these vacancies in March 2010. We are still actively recruiting an additional five therapists above full-staff establishment. As at the end of May 2010, interviews to fill the five additional positions have been held and offers made to successful candidates. The radiation oncology department has been operating at full capacity since 1 April 2010, and no patients have been transferred interstate since 30 March 2010.
Victims of Crime Amendment Bill 2010
MR STANHOPE (Ginninderra—Chief Minister, Minister for Transport, Minister for Territory and Municipal Services, Minister for Business and Economic Development, Minister for Land and Property Services, Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs and Minister for the Arts and Heritage) (10.11): Mr Speaker, I am presenting this bill today on behalf of the Attorney-General, Mr Corbell. Mr Corbell, as I believe members are aware, is currently hosting a ministerial council meeting in the ACT, I believe on corrections. Mr Corbell does hope to be able to return to the Assembly today, but at this stage that is not clear or confirmed, subject to the agenda that he is dealing with today; so I will be presenting this on his behalf.
Mr Stanhope, on behalf of Mr Corbell, presented the bill, its explanatory statement and a Human Rights Act compatibility statement.
Title read by Clerk.
MR STANHOPE: I move:
That this bill be agreed to in principle.
I am pleased to be presenting today on behalf of the Attorney-General the Victims of Crime Amendment Bill 2010. This builds on the government’s demonstrated commitment to victims of crime. The current Victims of Crime Act 1994 was one of
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