Page 2964 - Week 08 - Wednesday, 15 August 2018
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question taken on notice that the project was forecast for completion in 2021-22. Minister, why has the completion of the upgrade to the Centenary women’s and children’s hospital been delayed by a year?
MS FITZHARRIS: It has not been. It will be completed in the following financial year. That is the full completion of the project. As we have discussed in the chamber previously, there is extensive work underway regarding territory-wide service planning. That is fundamentally informing the work that we are doing to deliver not only the upgrades to the Centenary Hospital for Women and Children but also significant upgrades at the Canberra Hospital site. That is very detailed service planning that we need to do not only with building teams but also, most importantly, with staff who will be designing and delivering the new services. In addition there will also be upgrades to the existing Centenary hospital, and that work is continuing over this current financial year. I look forward to having more to say on that later on this year.
MR HANSON: Minister, in plain English, can you explain then why you stated that it was due to complete in 2020 and 2021 but the Minister for Mental Health, Mr Rattenbury, has advised that it would be completed a year later?
MS FITZHARRIS: Because since that original date we have progressed planning and new information has been made available to us. We will also—
Opposition members interjecting—
MS FITZHARRIS: Madam Speaker, I said that it would be completed in the following financial year.
MRS DUNNE: Minister, when will you announce further delays in the upgrade to the Centenary women’s and children’s hospital and how can you justify upgrades to the five-year-old infrastructure that is already there?
MS FITZHARRIS: Upgrades include expanding the services that are available there and also expanding the footprint of the Centenary hospital not only to provide additional services for women and children, which may be in maternity services, gynaecology services, adolescent gynaecology services, but also the very important construction of an in-patient youth and adolescent mental health unit.
ACT Health—executive salaries
MRS DUNNE: My question is to the Minister for Health and Wellbeing. I refer to answers to questions on notice regarding growth in the number of ACT Health senior executives. The number of senior executives in ACT Health increased by 13 positions last financial year. The cost of senior executive salaries increased from $6.1 million in 2016-17 to $8.2 million in 2017-18. Minister, why did the cost of senior executive salaries increase by $2.1 million last financial year?
MS FITZHARRIS: In that financial year the cost increased because there were more positions.
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