Page 2349 - Week 07 - Wednesday, 2 August 2017
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But this government’s neglect of ageing hospital infrastructure cannot be applauded. It must be condemned. Staff should not be expected to fear the government’s neglect. They should feel safe and secure in an assumption that the government will provide a safe workplace and reliable equipment and services. To be sure, emergencies can occur from time to time but when those emergencies come about because of a government’s neglect then the government needs to be held to account.
That is why I have sought over a long period the ACT Health asset condition assessment report conducted by AECOM Australia Pty Ld. AECOM gave this report to the government in February 2016 but the government has sought to hide it from the people of Canberra under the invisibility cloak of executive privilege. It did not want the people of Canberra to know that there are about 600 issues identified across the Health portfolio covering building structures and fit-outs, services and external works.
One of the more bizarre findings was that a wall is not vertical and is in poor condition and in advanced deterioration. Another is—I love this one—the distribution cupboard. This is an electrical distribution cupboard in the main reception administration area which the report says is poorly maintained. It says that the distribution cupboard is currently used as an additional storage space for random items such as a condom machine. The recommendation states that these items should not be stored in these areas.
The government did not want the people of the ACT to know that its neglect of health infrastructure would cost more than $100 million to fix. The government did not want the people of the ACT to know that fully 44 per cent of that cost, or $46.6 million, would have to be spent to fix issues that are rated extreme and high risk. And most of those extreme and high risk issues are at the Canberra Hospital.
The AECOM report identified four extreme and 143 high risk issues at the Canberra Hospital. It further identified 2016, that is last year, as the year in which the four extreme issues should be fixed. Perhaps the minister could enlighten the Assembly as to why those issues were not fixed in 2016, as the AECOM report suggests.
AECOM identified 2017-18 as the year in which the high risk issues should be fixed. Now we are a month into that new financial year and this is why I am asking, through this motion, the minister to update the Assembly as to the schedule to complete those works. It will be enlightening to see whether these works will be completed in this financial year.
This government has seen problems developing with the switchboard and other parts of the electrical system at the Canberra Hospital since 2007. The government has known for at least 10 years that problems were developing in the 45-year old electrical switchboard system at the Canberra Hospital. The AECOM report identified the main switchboard upgrades at the Canberra Hospital in the extreme risk category which should have been fixed in 2016.
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