Page 4836 - Week 13 - Tuesday, 27 November 2018
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any one club—reduce any club’s capacity to a maximum of 300 machines? In that scenario the only pain that would have been borne by the Tradies would have been nine machines; that is it. Not 10, like those at the RUC, or eight at the Canberra Deakin Football Club.
As we look to the future and we see club closures on the horizon—and you can mark my words on that, Madam Speaker; some clubs will close as a consequence of the burden of this bill, combined with others before it—when those clubs do close, what is to stop the creation of a super-mega club as they take up the authorisations? I have no doubt that the machine reduction program is not finished. Seriously, Madam Speaker, do we really want to get to the point where we are down to 3,000 machines in Canberra and 2,000 of them are at just two clubs?
We will not be supporting this bill because it will lead to the closure of some clubs. It will not lead to any great change in harm minimisation outcomes. It will lead to a number of community organisations missing out on funding that was coming to them from their club, and it is just bad government.
Debate interrupted in accordance with standing order 74 and the resumption of the debate made an order of the day for a later hour.
Sitting suspended from 12.27 to 2.30 pm.
Questions without notice
Canberra Hospital—cleaning
MR COE: My question is to the Minister for Health and Wellbeing. Minister, on 21 November the media reported that two workers employed by the Canberra Hospital’s cleaning contractor had been sacked. Apparently they had fallen asleep during an unpaid break in their duties, having worked for five to six hours straight in the lead-up to that unpaid break. Minister, there are increasing complaints about the standard of cleaning at the Canberra Hospital. There are cases where wards were not cleaned for several days at a time. Doctors have told patients to get out of hospital as soon as they can for fear of contracting infections. Minister, what are you doing to enforce the terms of the contract with the cleaning company?
MS FITZHARRIS: I thank Mr Coe for the question. I know that ACT Health and Canberra Health Services ensure that contracts are actively managed. I would request that Mr Coe provide any evidence relating to the issues that he raised in his earlier comments, because a number of those matters have not been brought to my attention.
MR COE: Minister, why is it that under your watch you are allowing patients and visitors to the Canberra Hospital to endure dirty and unhygienic conditions and risk contracting infections as a result?
MS FITZHARRIS: I am not, and I think we are reaching new levels in seeing the Canberra Liberals continue to denigrate our public health services. The assumptions made in Mr Coe’s question are fairly outrageous. We have seen all year constant political, negative attacks and I would request that the Canberra Liberals think very
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