Page 3075 - Week 07 - Thursday, 1 July 2010
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Mr Hanson: But she is entertaining—
MR SPEAKER: Mr Hanson!
MS GALLAGHER: Whilst health growth exceeds GST growth, this is a good deal for the ACT, and this is something that the Liberals just do not understand. They either cannot add up or they have not done the work. It is very easy to throw stones from the sidelines, but the extra money coming to the ACT—$16.3 million to cut emergency department waiting times; $10.4 million for additional elective surgery procedures; $26 million for 22 subacute beds; $6.8 million for operating room equipment and other infrastructure investments; $7.5 million over four years for a flexible funding pool to support emergency department subacute and elective surgery; and, in addition, $23 million for coordinated care on diabetes, doctor and allied health professionals training and aged care—is a substantial amount of money coming to support our health system.
The Treasury analysis and health advice to government is that it was a deal that had a positive outcome, both in a financial and service perspective for the people of the ACT. That is what we signed. We got the concessions that we wanted. We argued strongly for the ACT, and we will give the national health and hospital reform process, the governance arrangements, a really good go in the ACT. You can always improve the health system, and this a national agreement about a way forward, which I think is good for the health system not just here in the ACT but around the country. I thank members for their comments today.
Proposed expenditure agreed to.
Proposed expenditure—Part 1.13—Department of Justice and Community Safety—$202,606,000 (net cost of outputs), $60,319,000 (capital injection) and $143,521,000 (payments on behalf of the territory), totalling $406,446,000.
Debate interrupted in accordance with standing order 74 and the resumption of the debate made an order of the day for a later hour.
Sitting suspended from 12.30 to 2 pm.
Questions without notice
Childcare—places
MR SESELJA: My question is to the Minister for Children and Young People. Minister, the introduction of new staff-to-child ratios for childcare services will impact on the business operations of many childcare centres. Some will reduce the number of places they can offer. Others will extend their buildings and seek licence approval to accommodate more places. The draft report on the review of the change-of-use charge for the ACT prepared by Macroeconomics identifies that a set change-of-use fee of $10,000 per childcare place applies if a development application seeks to amend the number of permissible child places only, in a childcare centre which has a single permitted use of childcare centre only.
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