Page 4349 - Week 12 - Thursday, 24 October 2019
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But it does not help anybody to identify particular areas of Canberra Health Services while that detailed work is going on. It does not help staff to have the area that they work in dragged through the mud publicly when the vast majority of staff in any of these areas are doing absolutely fantastic work, are not responsible for creating this culture and are working to try to resolve the underlying cultural issues that they are facing. (Time expired.)
MRS DUNNE: Minister, are you conflicted as a member of the CPSU in relation to these allegations? What are you going to do to ensure that instances such as people being brought into a room and told to tell a staff member why they hate them are, one, investigated and, two, not repeated?
MS STEPHEN-SMITH: I thank Mrs Dunne for the supplementary. I can assure her that these matters that have been raised by staff and by the CPSU are, indeed, being investigated—
Mrs Jones: Apparently not.
MS STEPHEN-SMITH: Mrs Jones can say that they are not all she likes and if she wants to continue to provide incorrect information across the chamber, that is up to her. As I have indicated, CHS has introduced a case management approach in these areas that have been identified where bullying and harassment have been occurring and a culture diagnosis undertaken to address the number of issues occurring in the workplace.
As I have said, a one-size-fits-all approach does not result in workplace culture improvements. CHS is working closely with staff and with the employee assistance program to ensure that support is provided to all parties involved in any of these matters. CHS continues to deliver the respect at work program to educate staff on the consequences of poor culture or behaviours and preliminary assessment training for managers to ensure that they meet their legal obligations to manage workforce issues. But, as I have indicated, sometimes when a preliminary assessment is undertaken, the people involved have different perspectives.
I would also like to indicate that the time frame in relation to which these particular behaviours are alleged to have occurred has not been indicated. My understanding is that some of these allegations are not about recent behaviour. If I am incorrect in that I will correct the record, but that is my understanding. Of course, the government more broadly has reaffirmed its steadfast commitment to the implementation of all 20 recommendations of the culture review. I was pleased to read in the media the president of the AMA acknowledging my commitment and that of the CEO of Canberra Health Services to delivering culture change.
Canberra Hospital—SPIRE project
MR HANSON: My question is to the Minister for Health. In 2012 the ACT government commissioned a concept design for the redevelopment of buildings 2 and 3 of the Canberra Hospital. The work produced very detailed designs which were revised four times in 2014 and included a new emergency department with direct
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