Page 525 - Week 02 - Thursday, 11 February 2021
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If you asked Indra about this, she would just scoff and would say she is here to get stuff done, and that is another sanitised quote.
We are going to miss our excellent colleague and friend. I think everyone who has been part of this Assembly in the last 16 years will also miss her. Indra, on behalf of all of my Greens colleagues, we will miss your knowledge, your passion, your good companionship and your tireless dedication. Congratulations. Thank you, and best wishes for the exciting future ahead of you.
I also take this opportunity to offer my acknowledgement to Mr Coe of his speech today, and I also wish him the best in his future.
Health Care Consumers Association
MS STEPHEN-SMITH (Kurrajong—Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs, Minister for Families and Community Services and Minister for Health) (5.58): I want to start by acknowledging the enormous contributions that both Mr Coe and Indra Esguerra have made to this place and to the ACT community in their different roles and in their various ways. They will both be missed.
I rise today to acknowledge the critical role that healthcare consumers play in developing a patient-centred health system. We are very lucky in the ACT to have a health promotion organisation dedicated to delivering better health outcomes through consumer empowerment and which enables consumers to be in control of their own health—the Health Care Consumers Association, or HCCA.
As a government, we are committed to working with all of our partners in health care—staff, patients, their carers and families, non-government organisations, primary care providers, and the wider community. But we know that any organisation is only as good as those who involve themselves and dedicate their time and effort to forward the organisation’s aims. I would like to take a moment to recognise a few of those people today.
John Scott is a strong consumer advocate for people using renal services. John is the consumer co-chair of the Renal Advisory Network and has been involved in the network for more than a decade. John has a strong focus on governance in the health system, with a particular interest in digital health, something that is critical now more than ever. During his time he has contributed significantly to the work of HCCA, particularly with regard to electronic medical records. He is committed to the value of pursuing a shared vision, and his contribution to the Renal Advisory Network demonstrates that. I have been told that John and his wife, Joan, are relocating to Perth. I know that everyone who has worked with John has highly valued his contribution. Thank you for your contribution to the ACT health system, John.
I would also like to acknowledge Russell McGowan, who has been a member of the Health Care Consumers Association for 25 years and was president from 1998 to 2008. Russell is a bone marrow transplant survivor who has been active in the healthcare consumer movement since the early 90s. He has made a significant
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