Page 3723 - Week 12 - Wednesday, 23 October 2013
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
Other initiatives that will strengthen the gains we have achieved over the last 10 years include: funding for the Calvary birth centre in Ginninderra, which will see an additional 200 births per year at the centre—it is expected that women will be able to use the centre from mid-January 2014; funding for a mobile dental clinic that will see a fully equipped van providing dental services in the community, for those who are unable to travel to centralised dental clinics; Belconnen community health centre becoming operational on 11 November 2013 and being able to provide ambulatory care services normally only accessible from a hospital; funding the centenary chair for cancer research; and the paediatric emergency department.
These initiatives are crucial to many of the people in Ginninderra who frequently talk to me about these issues at my regular mobile offices. These initiatives provide for the needs of our health system into the future and will ensure that Canberrans, and indeed my Ginninderra constituents, get access to the quality healthcare services they need and deserve.
The Labor government recognises the diverse opportunities that a quality education presents to our children and young people and has, over the years, endeavoured to ensure that all ACT children, notwithstanding their circumstances, have access to not only quality education facilities but also quality teaching so as to reach their full potential.
As you are aware, the 2013-14 budget included funding for the national education reform agreement which will focus on further improving students’ learning and strengthening teaching, school leadership, transparency and accountability. No doubt many of my Ginninderra constituents will benefit greatly from that. This will serve to advance our already good record which sees the ACT continue to top the country in NAPLAN results, ranking first, or equal first, for grammar, punctuation and numeracy in all levels since 2009.
I will not be commenting on all the initiatives being currently undertaken that are aimed at providing an enhanced learning environment for students because it will probably take me too long. But I must say I am pleased to see that the government, as a result of its election commitment, has appropriated funds for the commencement of the Belconnen High School upgrades, as Dr Bourke mentioned earlier.
As I mentioned earlier, Canberra is a fantastic place to live in. Creating greater opportunities for all through major social reforms is one of the priorities for this government. This was clearly demonstrated yesterday when the Marriage Equality Bill 2013 was passed in this Assembly—removing unreasonable legal discrimination against same-sex couples, who now, as a result of the passage of this bill, have an equal opportunity to marry their spouses.
Signing and implementing the national disability insurance scheme—NDIS—is another initiative that will benefit many Canberrans. It will deliver unprecedented levels of funding for people with a disability in the ACT, which will facilitate greater opportunities not previously available to them.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video