Page 2903 - Week 08 - Wednesday, 14 August 2019
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
example, the Civic Youth Centre, will be receiving a roof restoration to help repair the ceiling and keep the centre dry, while the Hall community precinct will have potentially dangerous materials removed.
I look forward to these upgrades being completed and the community continuing to enjoy the community facilities that are available to them across the territory.
MS CODY: Minister, what benefits do facilities like these across the territory provide to everyday Canberrans looking to engage with their local community?
MR STEEL: I thank Ms Cody for her supplementary. Our community facilities provide a safe and affordable space for community programs and initiatives to take place and are highly valued by Canberrans. Organisation like the Men’s Shed regularly use venues across the ACT and provide invaluable support to men in the community and also allow them to give back to the community by the work that they do. That is why we committed to building the Hughes Men’s Shed, a further investment which was made through this year’s budget.
The Yarralumla Woolshed and Albert Hall are well known to most Canberrans and are historic and significant venues in our city that are available for hire for large gatherings and events. We will continue to invest in those types of heritage buildings which have been the venue for many significant events throughout the years in the territory, and many significant weddings as well that I have attended.
Through the 2019-20 budget, ACT Property Group are also investing in the maintenance of and repairs to a range of facilities. That will also have a focus on the heritage buildings that we have so that those building can be enjoyed by generations to come. Whether large or small, the benefits that these facilities provide for all of us are important, and I am very proud that our ACT government has been able to deliver further investment in these facilities through the budget.
Children and young people—care and protection
MRS KIKKERT: My question is to the Minister for Children, Youth and Families. Minister, the KPMG mid-strategy evaluation found that the percentage of kids who have a therapeutic plan within six weeks of entering care and protection declined from 64 per cent in 2016 to only 45 per cent in 2017 and then dropped even further to 22 per cent last year, even though this plan is meant to inform a child’s placement and the supports she or he receives. Minister, when did you first learn that fewer than one-quarter of all children and young people entering the territory’s care were receiving a therapeutic plan in the recommended time frame, and when did you first take steps to fix this problem?
MS STEPHEN-SMITH: I thank Mrs Kikkert for the question. Of course, there is a lag in the data coming out, so I am not able to answer the question about the specific data in terms of when I first became aware, because I do not necessarily have a record of that. What I can say is that we have been aware for some time that there was a challenge in providing those therapeutic assessments. That was in part a staffing and retention challenge.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video