Page 3065 - Week 07 - Thursday, 30 June 2011
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I have met with the chair of the Little Company of Mary Health Care in the last month. We have written to staff in the last week, explaining the work that is underway between the government and Little Company of Mary Health Care to progress the agreement that has been reached in principle about how these matters need to be handled. One of the most important outcomes for the people of the ACT is that whatever new buildings go on the Bruce site, they will be owned by the people of the ACT, which is currently not the case for the hospital that is there at the moment.
It is also important to note that I am doing some work around offering a full range of health services on the north side of Canberra. Perhaps the second most obvious issue that was raised during the consultation around the future of hospital services on the north side of Canberra was the fact that there are some restrictions, particularly around family planning services, that are offered out of the public system on the north side of Canberra. I accept that we cannot provide those on the Bruce site, but we will be looking for other alternatives to provide that service so that women on the north side of Canberra have access to publicly funded family planning and advice services, which many women have lobbied me about.
In this budget, in terms of capital expenditure, we are seeing the real commencement of the capital asset development plans—finalised work. We have seen things such as the surgical assessment and planning unit; the walk-in centre; the neurosurgery suite; and the car park, which is fully opened now. Just for the record—and I know Mr Hanson is going to keep saying this for another 16 months, and I will keep replying—the $29 million was for a 1,000-car car park on the north side of the campus; the $45 million was for an 1,800-car car park on the other side of the campus that met our needs for a whole lot longer. It was not a cost blow-out; it was double the scope.
Mr Hanson interjecting—
MS GALLAGHER: There were savings to be had. The original, 1,000-car car park which was originally going to be built was only going to meet the needs of car parking requirements for 2012. We now have a car park in place that delivers what we need for 2016.
Mr Hanson interjecting—
MS GALLAGHER: That is the additional car parks. They have been more than replaced by the Yamba Drive car park and the additional car parks that have been provided.
Mr Hanson interjecting—
MS GALLAGHER: Our parking requirements—
MADAM ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Mrs Dunne): Chief Minister, this is not a conversation with Mr Hanson.
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