Page 1595 - Week 06 - Wednesday, 2 June 2021
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MS STEPHEN-SMITH: I will take on notice the question in relation to the response rate to the survey. That experience is not consistent with what I have heard from other people who I know have had the vaccination. They have said that the process has gone very smoothly. Obviously, people tell us things as MLAs, and it is really important that we follow those up, and I am very happy to follow that up. Again I would say to the opposition that, if people are coming forward with questions like that, we are always very happy to follow those things up. It is really important that we get good advice from people about their post-vaccination experience. I am happy to follow that up. I am not entirely sure who that person would have called. That would be really helpful information—to understand what number they called.
MR MILLIGAN: Minister, what is the point of having this survey if residents are being told not to worry about it when they contact ACT Health?
MS STEPHEN-SMITH: I am not going to simply accept the premise of that question. That may have been a much more complicated conversation than is being presented by the opposition. I think it is very important for people to complete their post-vaccination survey. That is obviously our view. We want to collect as much information from people as we can. If the opposition would like to send me some further information about that, we can follow it up. There may have been a particular reason why the person on the other end of the phone thought it was better for that particular individual, for some reason that we are not aware of, to not pursue that. Without further information, it is very hard for me to take at face value the premise of that question.
MRS JONES: Minister, how else can Canberrans provide feedback about their vaccine experience to the ACT government if they have given up on the post-vaccine survey?
MS STEPHEN-SMITH: They can always email ACT Health or they can email me. They can call my office, and people do that on a regular basis; or they can call ACT Health. I do not know that we have much evidence of people giving up on the survey at this point in time. I will follow it up, and I will come back to the Assembly with an answer on the response rate, and see whether we have had any other representations in relation to the survey being difficult to complete. Certainly, I would continue to encourage people to complete that survey post vaccination. As I said, it is not feedback that I have had in relation to that post-vaccination survey.
ACT Corrective Services—parole process
MRS KIKKERT: My question is to the Minister for Corrections. The Ombudsman’s 2020 report into parole processes at the AMC reveal several shortcomings in parole policies and mechanisms. Included in those findings was that in the absence of official advice for detainees, a parole manual was created by a detainee to assist fellow detainees in understanding the process. It was described by the Ombudsman as a comprehensive document with good tips. He noted that ACT Corrective Services could adapt the document in consultation with detainees that have been involved and make it available to all detainees. Minister, what does it say about your performance as corrections minister when it falls to an inmate to do your job?
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