Page 1686 - Week 05 - Wednesday, 15 May 2019
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to 34 degrees. I think there is a different discussion about warm water exercise, and that is probably where some of the new ones come into this conversation.
I appreciate that the pool at the Canberra Hospital is ageing and that it cannot continue to operate forever. Minister Fitzharris has spoken about some of the details of that. But I believe we should not close the Canberra Hospital pool until we have an alternative plan to ensure that there are affordable and accessible hydrotherapy and warm water facilities for people in Canberra’s south. My advice is that while the Canberra Hospital pool will not be a viable option in the medium to long term, it can continue to operate safely in the short term until another facility is either identified or developed. The advice I am working from comes from those who have raised their concerns with me.
It is apparent that there is a lack of clarity in the community about how people on the south side will continue to access hydrotherapy once the Canberra Hospital pool closes. There is an opportunity here to have a conversation with the community to gauge the level of demand, clarify available hours at UCH and establish alternative arrangements either with existing south side pools or through a new facility. So I am pleased to hear that the minister and Canberra Health Services are currently working with stakeholders to answer these questions and identify a pathway forward that is acceptable to all involved. I do not believe we should pre-empt the outcome of that process by starting planning for a new pool at the Stromlo aquatic centre before that consultation is concluded.
In Mrs Dunne’s original text, she was very specific about needing to start work and planning on a new facility at Stromlo. I do not know if that is the right answer. The minister has spoken today in some pre-conversations about a number of other facilities around that may well be suitable. I think that there is some detailed work to do here around what the right answer is. I certainly do not presume to know that today, but having some further consultation on and consideration of those facilities is undoubtedly the right answer, because there do seem to be a range of options that should be considered. That is why we are supportive of the intention of Mrs Dunne’s motion. I think that she has hit on an important issue here and one that I know is of concern to a number of people who have approached me.
Clearly this is an important issue, especially for those who are living with arthritis or have similar conditions. I hope the outcome of today’s debate will be certainty that TCH will continue to remain available for people who need it in the short term and that a plan for an alternative facility is under development. Certainty is probably the most important thing today. It is very clear in the minister’s amendment, and I thank her for this, that the TCH facility will remain open until that further work has been done. The other positive part of the minister’s motion is a commitment to report back to the Assembly in August once that further discussion has taken place. That way there can be both information for the rest of us in this place and a degree of transparency for others who have an interest in what that consultation process has revealed.
We will be supporting the amendment brought forward by Minister Fitzharris today. I thank her for her commitment to working with the community to find a viable
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