Page 3141 - Week 09 - Tuesday, 22 August 2017
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Providing answers to questions from a member of this place should always be a high priority for a government agency. It does not fall under “other duties as directed” at the bottom of a public servant’s duty statement. If the government wants to extend the time to return answers to questions on notice, there are processes that can be followed. However, the government should be aware that lengthening the time to answer questions would also delay the estimates committee report and the time taken to consider the Appropriation Bill.
In late July we discovered that several reviews were overdue. In one case, an updated version of the ACT opioid treatment guidelines was five years late, while an updated version of the alcohol and other drug strategy is three years overdue. The government has committed to complete this review by the end of this month. I wait with anticipation. You could perhaps excuse this in a new minister struggling to come to terms with a portfolio. However, Ms Fitzharris has had responsibility in the health area since February last year. It is apparent that she is still on her L-plates. Minister Fitzharris appears to be out of her depth in the health portfolio. This was illustrated by this exchange in estimates hearings on 27 June:
THE CHAIR: Are there any other electrical switchboards, panels or circuitry that are rated as extreme or high risk currently at Canberra Hospital?
Ms Fitzharris: Not to my knowledge, but I will hand over to the directorate officials.
A health directorate official then answered:
In relation to your question, building 12 is another area where there is an electrical main switchboard replacement program. That is scheduled to be addressed between now and February 2019.
Ms Fitzharris was unable to answer a question accurately, despite concerns over the state of the hospital switchboard having been raised publicly since 5 April, nearly three months before. This is a sign of the capacity of this minister to adequately administer the health department.
MR PETTERSSON (Yerrabi) (5.12): This budget yet again proves why the public trust Labor to fund their healthcare system properly. That trust did not come overnight; it is a result of a commitment to health care that spans decades. This budget has succeeded in both securing world-class facilities for Canberrans and making sure that our healthcare system is and will be sustainable into the future. This is not an achievement to be overlooked. The rising cost of health care and Australia’s rapidly ageing population provide immense challenges that all territory and state governments need to face. Our Labor government is ready to face these challenges head on.
This plan will help to deliver long-term infrastructure for Canberra Hospital, including investing $236 million to construct the surgical procedures, interventional radiology and emergency centre, which will increase the number of operating theatres from 13 to 20. This centre will also see a larger intensive care unit, with 48 beds in the
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