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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2003 Week 7 Hansard (24 June) . . Page.. 2340 ..
MRS DUNNE
(continuing):This government and successive governments need to put money into ensuring that the people who work at the front line of emergency medicine as registrars, who work late at night covering for other doctors who have gone home, do not work the shifts that they have classically worked because it is not good for them and it is not good for the health of the patients.
In looking at the initiatives in other areas of the budget I found that, despite resolutions in this place and support across the Assembly, there is no provision for mental health outreach workers, as requested by the Toora women's group.
MR DEPUTY SPEAKER
: Order! The member's time has expired. Would you like to take your other 10 minutes, Mrs Dunne?MRS DUNNE
: Yes, thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. From recollection, there was a unanimous vote in this place to provide assistance for particular programs for mental health outreach workers, for people at risk of becoming homeless. That money has not appeared in this budget.Mr Corbell
: Don't give us that after your dismal record of mental health funding.MRS DUNNE
: I don't have a dismal record on mental health.Mr Corbell
: You do. Your party has an outrageous record on mental health funding.MRS DUNNE
: I don't have a dismal record on mental health.Mr Corbell
: The Liberal Party has a dismal record.MR DEPUTY SPEAKER
: Order! Somebody will have a dismal record of staying in this chamber if they are not careful.MRS DUNNE
: If we prick them, do they not bleed? What we have here is a dismal record in the performance of health, a dismal record, and all you need is this one figure to tell you: if a constituent of mine or any person in this place needs elective surgery and falls into category 1, once upon a time, not very long ago, a mere 18 months ago, they would have waited 14 days and now they wait 24 days.MR PRATT
(6.25): Mr Deputy Speaker, I rise to raise one issue regarding the delivery of health in the ACT. It is an issue that I am sure that Mr Wood would be aware of; it is a Brindabella issue. I talk about the issue of there being no Lanyon medical centre.Mr Wood
: There is one about 400 metres away, you know. There are a number of doctors there.MR PRATT
: Yes, but it is not sufficient and it is not meeting the needs of Lanyon people, according to Lanyon people. Lanyon is a significant central shopping centre, yet it is without a doctor's surgery. I receive a significant proportion of correspondence from constituents decrying the fact that we do not have a service in
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