Page 1219 - Week 04 - Thursday, 26 March 2015
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MS PORTER: Chief Minister, how will Access Canberra’s approach to regulation encourage business and community groups to organise new events?
MR BARR: As a single point of contact for entrepreneurs and promoters, Access Canberra provides an ideal place to bring ideas for events to government. No longer will people who wish to contribute to the economy and enhance the vibrancy and culture of our city need to run around to meet the needs of the bureaucracy. It works the other way now. Access Canberra is a single point of contact so that everyone in our community can spend less time negotiating with different arms of government and spend more time bringing their ideas to life in this city.
With the regulators all being located together now, event organisers can be reassured they will not be sent to every corner of ACT government in order to get approvals. Regulators are working together to achieve positive outcomes for event organisers, for community groups and for businesses. This change in culture is significant and one that my government is very pleased to deliver.
ACT Health—performance
MR WALL: My question is to the Minister for Health. Minister, today the Canberra Times reported that staff doctors at the Canberra Hospital are threatening industrial action, starting on Monday, 30 March. Minister, when did you become aware that the Canberra Hospital staff doctors were threatening industrial action?
MR CORBELL: I thank Mr Wall for the question. I do not have a precise date. I would have to take that on notice, but certainly it was only in the last couple of days.
MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Mr Wall.
MR WALL: Minister, have Canberra Hospital staff doctors requested to meet with you to discuss their concerns? If so, when will you be meeting with them?
MR CORBELL: Yes, this group of doctors has requested to meet with me through their bargaining agent. I have indicated to their bargaining agent that at this point in time, whilst I leave open the prospect of meeting, it is not appropriate for me to meet them and that discussions should continue through the enterprise bargaining team that the government has empowered to deal with negotiations in relation to the agreement.
MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Ms Porter.
MS PORTER: Minister, how many salaried doctors are there involved in this, and how many salaried doctors do we have?
MR CORBELL: I thank Ms Porter for her supplementary. There are about 30 senior medical officers involved in this group who are seeking to take protected action, and we have, overall, over 700 salaried staff under the medical officer agreement. So it is a relatively small number, but it is, obviously, a group of more senior doctors. The government treats that matter very seriously; I treat that matter very seriously. As I said previously, I remain committed to trying to resolve these outstanding issues, this small number of outstanding issues, as quickly as we possibly can.
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