Page 417 - Week 02 - Tuesday, 18 March 2014
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
The bill will also progress an amendment to ensure that a court can order a person in charge of a correctional facility to bring a detainee before the court for a civil proceeding. The amendment will not affect any right the detainee may have to not attend. It will simply ensure that where a court deems it necessary or appropriate and a detainee consents to attend a civil proceeding, Corrective Services will have the power to make sure that happens. This amendment may be useful where a detainee is the applicant in a civil proceeding or where a civil order, such as a forensic procedure order, is sought against the detainee and the court determines that it is appropriate for the detainee to attend.
The bill will also make a minor amendment to clarify that a person is not excluded from being appointed as a member of the Sentence Administration Board only because they are 70 years old or older. The amendment provides that the only limitation on appointment is that the person must have been a legal practitioner for not less than five years. This is currently the only requirement under the legislation, but the amendment will make this fact clearer.
I thank members for their support, and I commend the bill to the Assembly.
Question resolved in the affirmative.
Bill agreed to in principle.
Leave granted to dispense with the detail stage.
Bill agreed to.
Sitting suspended from 11.28 to 2.30 pm.
Questions without notice
Canberra Hospital—infections
MR HANSON: My question is to the Minister for Health. Minister, the MyHospitals website recently reported on the level of hospital-acquired infections, or golden staph, across all Australian hospitals. The Canberra Hospital had one of the worst rates of any hospital, with 41 reported cases. Whilst the general trend of infections is falling across Australia, the rate of infections is increasing at the Canberra Hospital, from 24 cases in 2010-11 to 33 in 2011-12 and 41 last year. The ACT director of public health said that there are issues with handwashing. Minister, why, when the average rates are falling across Australian hospitals, is the rate of hospital-acquired infection increasing at the Canberra Hospital?
MS GALLAGHER: I thank the Leader of the Opposition for the question. I am sure he listened to the response by Professor Collignon on this matter when it was raised publicly last week. I think we do need to put it in the context of the fact that, with small numbers in a small jurisdiction, you will on occasion see jumping around. The hospital-acquired infection—
Opposition members interjecting—
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video