Page 4566 - Week 13 - Tuesday, 26 November 2019
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notice, though, and ask ACT Policing if there is any relationship between this proposal that Mrs Dunne puts forward about funding for our officers and their wellbeing.
MRS DUNNE: Minister, what are the incidences of police being required to double shifts as a result of staff shortages? Is there a correlation between this and officers being absent due to staff shortages, burnout and mental fatigue?
MR GENTLEMAN: Madam Speaker, I go back to the conversations you and I have had before about shiftwork. When you are operating a 24-hour shift operation, you need to fill the shifts as best as possible. They are voluntary opportunities to fill those overtime shifts. Often it is an assistance to the family by way of monetary compensation. But, of course, it is a task on every officer who works a double shift. It is an exhausting job that they do. We need to ensure that when they do this sort of work, they are fully cognisant of what is occurring in their lives.
Indeed, station sergeants right across the ACT take on an individual task of looking after individual constables in the ACT, particularly those who do an amount of overtime. It is not unusual for officers to do overtime. In my previous job of 11 years, I worked overtime almost every month, and several shifts of overtime each month. Resourcing of this nature is necessary so that you can fill the shifts and be responsible to the ACT community. However, in regard to resourcing, we have invested more in the past years than ever previously across the ACT, and we will continue to invest in ACT Policing.
MS CODY: Minister, how is the government helping the wellbeing of first responders?
MR GENTLEMAN: We are doing our best to work with other groups, not just the wellbeing officers within ACT Policing but also R U OK? We had a great get-together earlier this year with officers at the national War Memorial to look at wellbeing opportunities and working with different groups such as R U OK? I congratulate ACT Policing on doing that particular work, and I look forward to investing more in the wellbeing of police officers across the territory.
ACT Health—SPIRE project
MS CHEYNE: My question is to the Minister for Health, who otherwise had a break today. Minister, could you update the Assembly on the SPIRE project?
MS STEPHEN-SMITH: I thank Ms Cheyne for her question. The health of Canberrans will always be a key priority for this ACT government. We are getting on with the job of expanding the services available at Canberra Hospital to meet the needs of our growing and ageing city.
Earlier this month, the government called for expressions of interest from potential design and construction partners for the new state-of-the-art emergency, surgical and critical healthcare facility at Canberra Hospital. This represents the first phase of the
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