Page 858 - Week 03 - Wednesday, 18 March 2015
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Public transport itself is an extremely important consideration in supporting inclusion. We know that car dominated cities alienate vulnerable people in our community who may not be able to drive, may not have the resources to own a vehicle or simply do not have the means to get about in that way. On top of that, car dominated cities discourage the kinds of human interactions that occur incidentally when people are out and about, walking and cycling in their neighbourhoods. Walking and cycling are activities that get people out of their cars and onto the streets. People start to run into their neighbours and have conversations. When there are more people on the streets, it facilitates a sense of security—something that is especially important for women, children and the elderly.
Anecdotally, I was in a bike shop in Braddon this morning. I talked to the owner and he was telling me how he thinks Canberra has changed because people are starting to live in places where they can walk to work, as we are seeing perhaps more people living in places like the city and Braddon, and increasingly walking. He was observing how that plays out from a business point of view. People come and use the business and he starts to get to know them and see them in the street. I think that illustrates how important the urban form can be in enhancing social inclusion.
Social inclusion is a very broad topic. My speech has covered that in some ways. You could almost say there has been a grab bag of things that I have touched on. There are so many angles by which someone can think about social inclusion. I appreciate the fact that Dr Bourke brought this motion forward today. Having listened to other speakers as well, I have paused to think about things that perhaps I had not thought about as being issues of social inclusion. So I am very pleased to support Dr Bourke’s motion today and appreciate the opportunity to discuss these matters in the chamber.
MR CORBELL (Molonglo—Deputy Chief Minister, Attorney-General, Minister for Health, Minister for the Environment and Minister for Capital Metro) (4.53): I thank Dr Bourke for bringing this motion forward today. As health minister I want to stress that the notion of social inclusion lies at the heart of service planning and delivery within the ACT health system. This was made very clear in the health system’s duty statement “Your health, our priority”. The delivery of health services to all people resident in Canberra and the surrounding region, including people from vulnerable groups, is, therefore, a paramount consideration.
I would like to turn to a range of service delivery areas within ACT Health where this is relevant. Firstly in relation to our community health centres, Canberra boasts seven community health centres which provide a broad range of community-based services to the ACT population close to where they live. These are located at Gungahlin, Tuggeranong, Belconnen, Phillip, Civic, Dickson and Hume. The Hume health centre is of course for detainees within the AMC itself.
The consumer is the centre of the model of care. They and their families are involved in decision making, and there is a focus on connecting and integrating all aspects of a person’s care and treatment. Services provided within our community health centres aim to support and complement the primary care needs of the population, especially those from vulnerable or disadvantaged backgrounds. And, where appropriate, services are also able to be provided in people’s homes.
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