Page 1326 - Week 04 - Thursday, 8 May 2014
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investment in recent years. The government is also committed to ensuring that this pipeline of activity remains strong, and ensuring that the ACT receives the greatest possible benefit from sound infrastructure planning.
While cutbacks from the commonwealth government are out of our control, infrastructure investment will help to support business confidence and job creation over the next few years. Members may be aware that the government has a significant pipeline of major projects, including the capital metro light rail project, city to the lake, the University of Canberra public hospital, the Australia forum and a new enclosed football stadium.
This is in addition to continued land release for new dwelling sites right across Canberra, such as Southquay in my electorate of Brindabella, the Molonglo valley, Riverview in west Belconnen, and, of course, Gungahlin. And this is in addition to the ongoing investment in roads, schools, health facilities and the like which is providing Canberrans with the infrastructure and services that our community deserves and expects.
For example, major road projects in my electorate now include the Isabella Drive-Drakeford Drive upgrade, with construction due for completion later this year, and the Ashley Drive upgrade. Stage 1 construction started in September last year and is due for completion in about the middle of this year. There are, of course, further examples right across the territory.
There are few greater priorities for any government than caring for the health and wellbeing of their community. The ACT government’s health infrastructure program—HIP—is about completely overhauling the territory’s health system and working closely with the community, healthcare consumers, staff and stakeholders to build a better, responsive, accessible, safe and innovative health system of the highest quality. The opening of the Tuggeranong health centre and the new health walk-in centre at Tuggeranong due to be opened very shortly are really good examples of that.
The ACT government will invest close to $2 billion into making sure every aspect of the ACT’s healthcare system can support the needs of its growing community. The HIP will build confidence in the healthcare system by providing new and enhanced healthcare facilities to meet the future healthcare demands of the Canberra community.
It has already begun to address the demand for improved community health care with the opening of three new community health centres across the territory; women and children have a world-class facility in the Centenary Hospital for Women and Children; and the emergency department intensive care unit extension has enhanced our acute-care capacity. Future facilities that will be delivered include the new Canberra region cancer centre and the University of Canberra public hospital.
The HIP has already generated significant flow-on benefits to the ACT, including generating major activity in the construction industry. Its outcomes will stimulate ongoing growth in support industries, health-related tertiary education and the healthcare workforce. The HIP has generated jobs within the construction industry and, in addition, is enabling and informing the sustainable expansion of the health workforce into the future.
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