Page 4600 - Week 14 - Thursday, 24 November 2005

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Debate (on motion by Dr Foskey) adjourned to the next sitting.

Sitting suspended from 12.19 to 2.30 pm.

Questions without notice

Dental health

MR SMYTH: My question is to the Minister for Health. Minister, recently the Chief Minister and you have been proclaiming that ACT Health’s dental care program is in top working order. Is it not the case that the program has been downgrading the work of dental nurses and assistants, particularly the temporary staff, placing them in an untenable position and leaving this portion of the staff with very little productive work to do? How many temporary dental nurses and dental assistants has ACT Health laid off recently?

MR CORBELL: I will take the question on notice.

MR SMYTH: Minister, is it the case that various entitlements, such as leave pay, have not been paid to those temporary dental nurses who have been laid off? If so, when will these nurses get their entitlements?

MR CORBELL: I will take that question on notice.

Prison—funding

MR MULCAHY: My question is to the Chief Minister. In answer to a question on funding the new prison, on Tuesday this week you made a number of comments about the availability of funds to build the prison. In particular, you said:

Funding of $128 million for the prison has been appropriated.

… the prison is fully appropriated to the tune of $128 million …

The money is in the budget, all $128 million of it …

Chief Minister, has your Treasurer now explained to you the difference between funds being identified in the budget, including forward estimates, and funds that have actually been appropriated by this Assembly? Will you now correct your statements made earlier this week when you answered the question relating to the ACT prison?

MR STANHOPE: No.

MR MULCAHY: Mr Speaker, my supplementary question to the Chief Minister is: what funds have been appropriated to date for the construction of the ACT prison?

MR STANHOPE: The funding for the prison has been allowed for by the government through the budget process.


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