Page 3532 - Week 10 - Wednesday, 18 September 2019
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I will be supporting, on behalf of the Greens, Minister Stephen-Smith’s amendment. It provides additional information but has retained the calls from Mrs Dunne. The update the minister will provide to the Assembly by the last sitting day of this year will be an opportunity for all of us to hear about matters in which we all share a deep interest. We will be supporting Minister Stephen-Smith’s amendment today.
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 12.03 to 2.00 pm.
Questions without notice
Canberra Health Services—deficit
MR COE: My question is to the Minister for Health. Minister, your incoming minister’s brief provides commentary on the operating result for Canberra Health Services, including for 2018-19. Minister, why was the deficit for Canberra Health Services, as projected, going to be much worse than expected?
MS STEPHEN-SMITH: I thank Mr Coe for the question. As we have talked about many times in this place, there has been significant demand placed on Canberra Health Services over the past year.
MR COE: Minister, what was the final financial operating result for Canberra Health Services in 2018-19 and, again, why was this deficit worse than expected?
MS STEPHEN-SMITH: The annual report will be, of course, released shortly and budget papers are available to the Leader of the Opposition. All these figures are public in relation to those matters and, as the Leader of the Opposition has identified, they have access to the documents they received under FOI. They have the same information I had in my incoming minister’s brief in relation to that matter. I am awaiting the final annual reports from my directorate and Canberra Health Services.
MS LAWDER: Minister, was the final result worse than expected, and if so, why?
MS STEPHEN-SMITH: I thank Ms Lawder for the question, but I think Mr Coe, in his first question, pointed out that the incoming minister’s brief said that the final result was expected to be worse than had originally been anticipated. As I have just said, I am awaiting the final annual report.
Justice—age of criminal responsibility
MS LE COUTEUR: My question is to the Attorney-General. It relates to the age of criminal responsibility. Minister, when are you, or are you, planning to lift the age of criminal responsibility so that the Canberra community can be assured that we will not be locking up young people unnecessarily? What processes do you need to undertake to make this important policy change?
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