Page 1552 - Week 05 - Wednesday, 10 May 2017
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Sitting suspended from 12.32 to 2.30 pm.
Questions without notice
Canberra Hospital—electrical systems
MR COE: My question is for the Minister for Health. Minister, when did your directorate first identify safety problems with the Canberra Hospital switchboard?
MS FITZHARRIS: ACT Health, as I have mentioned on a number of occasions, has certainly identified that there needed to be improvements and upgrades to the electrical systems at the Canberra Hospital. I would not characterise those as being safety concerns.
MR COE: As I just said, when did your directorate first identify safety problems with the Canberra Hospital switchboard, and when did your directorate decide that the switchboard needed to be replaced?
MS FITZHARRIS: Again, I reject the linkage between the necessary work done to upgrade switchboards and Mr Coe’s characterisation that there were safety concerns. I will take the detail regarding the date on notice.
MRS DUNNE: Minister, what maintenance or repair works were undertaken in the past five years to keep the hospital’s switchboard safely operational?
MS FITZHARRIS: As I mentioned yesterday, and as Mrs Dunne has put a motion before the Assembly which I believe we will be discussing tomorrow, I will take the detail of the question on notice around the significant number of pieces of work that have been undertaken. I think five years is too long for me to go back to now. So I will take the specifics on notice.
Canberra Hospital—electrical systems
MRS DUNNE: My question is to the Minister for Health. I refer to your statement of 9 May 2017 in relation to the fire in the hospital switchboard. Minister, you referred to, and I quote, “a subsequent incident with the cardiac catheter lab back-up power arrangements on 9 April 2017.” Minister, your statement on the fire lacked any detail about the events of 9 April in the catheter lab. What are details of the incident in the catheter lab?
MS FITZHARRIS: The subsequent incident was not entirely linked but was obviously in the same time frame. I will get the details of that for you, but I would note that I gave a lengthy interview about that, I believe on Thursday, 13 April, the details of which I do not have in front of me right now. I am happy to provide those to the Assembly.
MRS DUNNE: Minister, why did it take five days to restore the cardiac catheter lab to full service?
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