Page 3882 - Week 14 - Tuesday, 23 October 1990
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School Closures - Buses
MR MOORE: My question is to Mr Humphries, or it might be to Mr Duby. It is about buses and education, so they can choose between them which one will answer it. Will the buses used for transporting students displaced by the proposed school closures be provided by ACTION, or is there a plan to use the commercial buses which come from Yass and currently transport students from New South Wales into the ACT?
MR DUBY: I shall answer this question, Mr Speaker, and I thank Mr Moore for the question. In the past school bus services have been coordinated through the department of education and through ACTION. In future years, commencing in 1991, the school bus program will be entirely provided by ACTION, using its own resources, and the funding for that will be put into ACTION's services. I think this matter was actually raised in the Estimates Committee. Maybe I have missed the point of the question; but the Government has allocated an amount of money, some $128,000, to cater for the provision of school buses which may be required next year - I repeat, may be required - as a result of the school closures program. If those buses are used, and are required, they will be provided by ACTION in its capacity as the school bus carrier of the ACT. There is no plan at this stage to hire private buses.
Ambulance Services
MRS NOLAN: Mr Speaker, my question is to Mr Humphries in his capacity as Minister for Health. Will the Minister advise the Assembly what the Government is doing about providing sufficient ambulance services for the ACT community?
MR HUMPHRIES: That is an extremely timely question and I thank Mrs Nolan very much for it. I am aware that several vacant ambulance officer positions, seasonal sick leave and training commitments - features which are fairly common at this point in the year - have recently affected the number of available ambulances, leading on some occasions to the closure of an ambulance station.
It is not possible, Mr Speaker, to staff an ambulance when a rostered officer calls in sick at short notice and the shortage is not covered by overtime. I understand that two officers staff each ambulance station. When one officer is not available the station is closed and the remaining officer reports to the nearest open station. That is a longstanding practice.
This temporary problem, which has occurred historically and on an annual basis, has been remedied with the recent - - -
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