Page 171 - Week 01 - Wednesday, 26 February 2014
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need to build the city so that we broke the cycle of boom and bust. It happens under all governments. It is particularly caused by Labor governments and their spending practices at the federal level, where they cannot control their spending. It is normally cleaned up by Liberal governments who get elected on a mood of the public that they are sick of the profligate waste from federal Labor and their inability to deliver anything.
Going to the diversification of the territory’s economy, it will be interesting to get the report from the Treasurer as to how his plan is going. Again, like so many plans that the Treasurer puts forward, it seems to be a rehash, a remake, a rename, a rebadge—a conflation of things that were already happening. There was not much original work in the report that purports to be their plan to diversify the territory’s economy.
It would be interesting to see what they have actually achieved. It would be interesting to get some statistics. The latest ABS stats say that we are now down to 49 per cent of employment in the ACT being in the private sector. It goes against the 60 per cent that this government inherited, and it shows the basic failure of Labor to deliver a diversified economy in the ACT.
Debate interrupted in accordance with standing order 74 and the resumption of the debate made an order of the day for a later hour.
Sitting suspended from 12.29 to 2.30 pm.
Questions without notice
Canberra Hospital—cancer centre
MR HANSON: My question is to the Minister for Health. Last year the almost completed cancer centre at TCH was extensively damaged by water after a plumbing fault. It has already been announced that the new cancer building will not be opened until sometime in the middle of 2014. For cancer patients concerned about their treatments, minister, do you have any information about the new opening date for this vital health facility?
MS GALLAGHER: We are hoping to open in the first half of this year. It will certainly be after April—between April and June. That is due to the extensive nature of the remediation that has to happen at the cancer centre.
MADAM SPEAKER: Supplementary question, Mr Hanson.
MR HANSON: How are patients currently needing cancer treatment being accommodated while they wait for the new centre to open?
MS GALLAGHER: As the new centre is a completely separate facility, the existing arrangements in radiation oncology and the cancer area at the hospital are fully operational. In fact, you will see from the quarterly performance reports just how well the Capital Region Cancer Service is operating, meeting all of the benchmark times for 100 per cent of patients. The care is actually being provided within the existing older part of the hospital. When the remediation works are complete, we will start a commissioning period, moving those services into the new building.
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