Page 157 - Week 01 - Wednesday, 12 February 2020
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
MS BERRY: I thank Ms Cheyne for that supplementary. After what has been an unusual and difficult summer for many Canberrans, the ACT Education Directorate has been working on preparing and planning for how mental health needs of staff, students and families could be supported when school returned, as well as into the year.
All 81 of our school psychologists participated in additional training on supporting children with recent traumatic experiences. Teachers and school leaders also participated in professional learning about trauma responses. In addition, a range of resources has been available to assist parents, carers and teachers through Emerging Minds, an organisation which leads the National Workforce Centre for Child Mental Health and is responsible for developing mental health policy, services, interventions, training, programs and resources for professionals, children and families.
I also want to recognise that ACT public colleges were set up as evacuation and respite centres as required, and will be able to be set up should the need occur over the year. Over the summer, Dickson College was used as a relief centre, and Erindale College was used as an evacuation centre in response to the Orroral Valley fire. I again pay extra tribute to those school communities for allowing the centres to be set up in that way and for their flexible and welcoming response to people who needed that additional support.
ACT Health—SPIRE project
MS LAWDER: My question is to the Minister for Health. I refer to an options paper for the SPIRE project discussed by senior officers of major projects in Canberra Health Services in November last year. Minister, which specific options have been put forward to the government for consideration?
MS STEPHEN-SMITH: I thank Ms Lawder for her question. Obviously, I am not going to talk publicly about matters that are subject to consideration by cabinet prior to them being considered by cabinet and publicly announced. What I can say is that we are building a bigger, better Canberra Hospital for our city with more operating rooms, a bigger emergency department and more intensive care beds.
We are getting on with the job of doing that. We have picked the best location on Canberra Hospital campus and we are working through issues in relation to footprint, traffic and pedestrian access and all of the other issues that have been raised with us by the community. We are doing that in a considered way, understanding that detailed project design still has a long way to go. We are getting on with the job; the opposition are just creating confusion.
MS LAWDER: Minister, what discussions about this options paper have you had with Canberra Health Services, the Health Directorate and/or Major Projects Canberra?
MS STEPHEN-SMITH: I thank Ms Lawder for the supplementary. I can confirm that I have discussed these matters with Canberra Health Services and with Major Projects Canberra.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video