Page 49 - Week 01 - Tuesday, 13 February 2018
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MS FITZHARRIS: The ACT government has done a lot to increase access to elective surgery, with record numbers of surgical procedures being delivered. In the last financial year our target was 12,500, and 12,826 procedures were performed. Although it is pleasing to see that we are reaching our targets for the number of procedures performed, we know that demand for both emergency and elective surgery continues to grow.
As a result of this demand, the ROGS report did show that the ACT has higher median wait times for certain elective surgery procedures than the national median wait times. We recognise that getting on top of this wait list is a challenge for us. It will be a priority this year.
To build on the work that has been done in recent years to increase access to surgery, we have today announced another funding boost to elective surgery, with an additional $6.3 million for more surgeries, taking our surgeries, and elective surgeries in particular, this year to over 13,000—a record number of surgeries. This investment will bring another 600 Canberrans off our waiting list. We have begun cross-territory planning to complete a range of surgeries for patients, with a key focus on those who are currently waiting beyond the recommended time frames. We are committed to addressing elective surgery wait lists so that more people can come off these wait lists.
Roads—traffic management study
MS CHEYNE: My question is to the Minister for Transport and City Services. Can the minister update the Assembly on the outcomes of the local area traffic management study on Tillyard Drive and the surrounding streets in Fraser, Flynn and Charnwood?
MS FITZHARRIS: I thank Ms Cheyne for her question and her interest in this particular intersection in her electorate of Ginninderra. Of course achieving safer speeds on our road network is an essential element of the safe system approach outlined in national and ACT road safety strategies. A range of integrated speed management measures, covering engineering, enforcement, encouragement and education, are part of the ACT road safety strategy. One of these measures is to conduct local area traffic management treatments in residential areas.
Roads ACT, as members know, uses a traffic warrant system to objectively assess the need for and priority of traffic management and road safety measures on residential streets. The intersection of Tillyard Drive and Ginninderra Drive ranks relatively highly in this warrant system.
Roads ACT engaged engineering consultants to undertake a local area traffic management study on Tillyard Drive and surrounding streets in Charnwood, Flynn and Fraser. As discussed in last year’s annual report hearings, this principally looked at just the length of Tillyard Drive and not at major intersections. But the study at that point did include a technical component analysing traffic speed, volume and crash data, as well as seeking the views of local residents. Following extensive community
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