Page 727 - Week 03 - Tuesday, 17 March 2015
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MR DOSZPOT: Chief Minister, if the arrangements as outlined for Mocca prove to be unsuitable or unaffordable to Mocca, will there be any other alternatives provided to them?
MR BARR: Certainly it is the government’s preference that child care in the inner south be expanded and Manuka occasional care have the first call on that new facility. Because, as I understand it, they will go from 77 to 100 places. That will mean increased revenue for Manuka occasional care, which should allow them to meet the increased costs associated with a larger and expanded centre—noting, of course, that there are a range of fixed costs associated with childcare provision that would then be spread across a greater number of children. So we will work closely with Manuka occasional care in relation to that business model.
The important point to stress here is that childcare provision operates commercially in this city and that all childcare providers, over time, would be expected to make contributions by way of rent to ensure a level playing field amongst all childcare providers. It is simply unfair for a childcare provider 100 metres down the road to be paying rent and one just 100 metres up the road to not be. There has to be a level playing field. If you are going to get a brand-new building that is expanded and provides increased revenues, it would be reasonable to expect that a level of rent would be paid.
Hospitals—University of Canberra
MS PORTER: Madam Speaker, my question is to the health minister. Minister, you announced this week the reference design for public consultation on an important new piece of health infrastructure, the University of Canberra public hospital. Can you tell us more about this new health facility?
MR CORBELL: I thank Ms Porter for her question. I was very pleased to be joined by Ms Porter and Dr Bourke for the launch of the designs for the new University of Canberra public hospital. This is one of the most significant investments in this Labor government’s $880 million health infrastructure program, the largest rebuild of health infrastructure facilities across the ACT health system in the history of self-government. Already the University of Canberra public hospital project sits alongside other projects also being delivered in the health infrastructure program, including the very popular and effective Canberra Region Cancer Centre, the Centenary Hospital for Women and Children, the new adult mental health facilities at the Canberra Hospital, as well as the rebuild of the community health centres at Gungahlin, Belconnen and Tuggeranong. This Labor government is getting on with the job of investing in health facilities for our city and for our community.
The UCPH project will be a health infrastructure project unlike any we have seen in the territory before. It will be designed to focus entirely on subacute care. This is designed to improve services delivered to patients to assist them with their mobility and functioning, often after surgery or acute illness, and it is designed to improve people’s quality of life. And that is what is really important about this project. It will have 140 in-patient beds and another 75 day patient places. It will provide a range of
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