Page 5808 - Week 14 - Wednesday, 7 December 2011
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What it means is that a master plan would be agreed to by June 2012 which will clearly outline the development opportunities on that site, that all development proposals are considered by a committee where there is equal representation from Calvary and the territory. It also means that we actually get access to the land on that site for a peppercorn cost, which is very important and significant progress on what the arrangements were before. Of course new developments that would be constructed on that site, under the service concession arrangement that would exist, are able to be booked to the ACT community’s book through the ACT budget.
So we believe these are significant improvements on the arrangements that were in place before, and this gives us some comfort as we go forward and negotiate with Calvary on the redevelopment opportunities ahead.
MS PORTER: A supplementary.
MR SPEAKER: Yes, Ms Porter.
MS PORTER: Minister, some members of the community have raised concerns over some services that may not be offered to the community under this agreement. Can you outline what the government is doing to address these concerns, and is the territory in a stronger position than it was in the past in relation to these agreements?
MS GALLAGHER: In relation to some concerns—and there have been concerns raised over the last few years—around the availability of a full suite of health services being offered at Calvary Public Hospital, this is an issue that weighs on people’s minds. I start by saying that not all hospitals offer everything to everybody, and there is an acknowledgment that hospitals play particular roles within our system. The Calvary Health Care board and the operations are governed under a system of the Catholic Church and Catholic beliefs and values around provision of healthcare services, and this means that, particularly in relation to family planning services, these cannot be offered to women through the public system from that site.
However, I have had a number of discussions with the directorate about the ability to provide these services from either the new subacute facility that is constructed on that site or through the Belconnen enhanced community health centre. It is not necessarily a requirement that these services be offered from a hospital setting, and I think we will be able to meet our obligations to the community through the provision of these services from a different location but still on the north side of Canberra.
MS BRESNAN: Supplementary.
MR SPEAKER: Yes, Ms Bresnan.
MS BRESNAN: Minister, what changes are there between the old and new agreement with regard to under what conditions the contract could end?
MS GALLAGHER: There are termination of agreement clauses within the agreement that set out a process where there is significant disagreement between the
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