Page 1280 - Week 05 - Thursday, 4 June 2020

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This is an important issue about the lives and safety of mental health patients, the staff who look after them and their families, who are distressed beyond belief and who find themselves as pawns in the process. They are sick of taking their loved ones to hospital and having them sent home untreated. They are tired of not getting answers. They and the distressed staff know we need an inquiry, just as we know we need an inquiry.

Question put:

That the amendment be agreed to.

The Assembly voted—

Ayes 7

Noes 6

Ms Berry

Ms Orr

Mrs Dunne

Mr Parton

Ms J Burch

Mr Rattenbury

Mr Hanson

Mr Wall

Ms Cheyne

Ms Stephen-Smith

Ms Lawder

Mr Gentleman

Mr Milligan

Question resolved in the affirmative.

Original question, as amended, resolved in the affirmative.

Supplementary answer to question on notice

ACT Emergency Services Agency—volunteer compensation

MR GENTLEMAN (Brindabella—Manager of Government Business, Minister for Advanced Technology and Space Industries, Minister for the Environment and Heritage, Minister for Planning and Land Management, Minister for Police and Emergency Services and Minister for Urban Renewal) (5.00): I seek leave of the Assembly to provide a quick update on the firefighters financial support program that was raised in question time today.

Leave granted.

MR GENTLEMAN: Thank you, Assembly members. In response to earlier questions on the volunteer firefighters financial support program from Mrs Jones and Mr Wall, and the questions I took on notice, I have sought updated advice from the ESA and I am advising the following: a total of eight applications have been received. I believe the last two were received after inquiries from the media last week. Of those applications, the ESA understands six volunteers have already received the payment and the other two have been approved and the funds will be received very shortly. Funds are provided via Shared Services, and the ESA is following this up. To date, the ESA have not received any other applications for approval.

When the federal government first announced the volunteer firefighter payments scheme in January, it was available only to New South Wales Rural Fire Service members. The hard work of the ACT government and the ESA ensured that this

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