Page 141 - Week 01 - Wednesday, 15 February 2012

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Hospitals—nurse-led walk-in centres

MR HANSON (Molonglo) (10.41): I move:

That this Assembly:

(1) notes:

(a) that in 2008, Katy Gallagher promised that if elected “ACT Labor will establish three new walk-in centres”;

(b) that this promise has not been fulfilled and only one walk-in centre has been opened, located at The Canberra Hospital (TCH);

(c) that, on 12 December 2011, Katy Gallagher announced that if re-elected in 2012, her government “will expand the nurse-led walk-in centre model to Belconnen and Tuggeranong”;

(d) that the public and the media were falsely given the understanding that “two new” centres were in addition to the current facility at TCH;

(e) that, after questions were raised, Katy Gallagher subsequently admitted on 23 December 2011 that her preferred option is to close the existing nurse-led centre at TCH;

(f) that Katy Gallagher’s stated fallback option to closing the TCH centre is to provide only lesser “satellite” centres to Belconnen and Tuggeranong;

(g) that the funding for the existing centre at TCH has been provided by the Commonwealth only until financial year 2013-2014;

(h) that, on 12 December 2011, Katy Gallagher announced funding to be $10 million over four years, sufficient to fund only one additional centre; and

(i) that, in order to fund two centres for four years, an additional $8.9 million would be required from 2014 that has not been identified in the policy announcement; and

(2) calls on the Minister for Health to:

(a) clarify what her nurse-led centre policy is and what it would cost in full;

(b) explain to the Assembly why on 12 December 2011 she misled the media and the public by concealing the fact that as part of her policy she intends to close the TCH walk-in centre;

(c) explain how two walk-in centres would be funded over the four years, given the Commonwealth funding finishes in 2014;

(d) assure the Assembly that future election promises will not be so misleading, will not omit major aspects of the policy and will be fully funded; and

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