Page 6134 - Week 14 - Thursday, 9 December 2010
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design of new or improved community health centres at Gungahlin, Belconnen and Tuggeranong.
The concept design for the first phase of the capital region cancer centre has been completed. Indeed, our detailed design is now underway. In the interim, an additional two in-patient beds for the capital region cancer service at the Canberra Hospital were opened in 2009. A neonatal intensive care unit has been integrated into the design of the new women’s and children’s hospital on the Canberra Hospital campus.
In March 2009 the government launched the GP taskforce to investigate GP workforce issues. The taskforce’s final report was tabled in the Assembly in September, and the government’s response was tabled in December of 2009, agreeing or agreeing in principle to all of the recommendations, a number of which are being progressed.
The 2008-09 budget funded initiatives to attract training GPs to Canberra and increase nursing staff. The 2009-10 budget continued the work, with $12 million over four years to grow the GP workforce through training scholarships, a business-hours aged care GP locum service, and the extension of the successful prevocational general practice placement programs. In the 2009-10 budget we committed $8.2 million over four years to expand the roles of allied health professionals, doctors, nurses and assistants. Of course, there are no quick fixes here, but there is real investment in things that will deliver dividends over time and strengthen our community.
In the past two years Labor has worked hard to further support the rights and needs of the most vulnerable in our community. Achievements include a dedicated women’s plan, a children’s plan and a young people’s plan, a renewed multicultural strategy and a strategic plan for positive ageing—documents that are guiding and informing all of the government’s policies.
The past two ACT budgets have seen significant investments in the disability sector, the out-of-home care sector and carers. In 2009-10 the ACT and federal governments joined forces to deliver a suite of new programs to tackle homelessness. The result is more properties, new service delivery models and more support for those with complex needs, including mental illness and substance abuse.
The street to home program has been operational since March 2010 to support Canberrans experiencing chronic homelessness. The program uses assertive engagement and outreach to help people into appropriate and stable housing. Our refugee transitional housing program has been expanded to provide 16 properties for newly arrived refugees, and a grant of $750,000 has allowed the early-morning drop-in centre at Pilgrim House to refurbish and expand its facilities. We have acted on feedback regarding homelessness services and have invested more than $2 million over three years on a new central intake service.
In the area of community services and facilities, a community sector portable long service leave scheme has been introduced. The government is examining how to better regulate boarding houses, with a discussion paper release. The government has just about completed the regional community facilities project, refurbishing sites at
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