Page 4671 - Week 14 - Thursday, 24 November 2005
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(9) The integrated education, recreation and open space precinct in Gungahlin Town Centre will include provision for a cultural facility.
(10) Two sites have already been released for additional service stations, one in the proposed Amaroo Group Centre and one in the town centre next to Magnet Mart. Further sites for service stations will be identified in the Gungahlin district. The next site is likely to be along Flemington Road, subject to demand, which is being monitored by the Land Development Agency.
(11) This question relates to the portfolio of the Minister for Education. The integrated education, recreation and open space precinct (Well-Being precinct) in Gungahlin Town Centre includes land for the establishment of a government secondary college. I am advised that, based on the current projected number of government secondary college students residing in Gungahlin, a government secondary college would not open before 2010.
Health—ACT Community Nursing
(Question No 608)
Mrs Burke asked the Minister for Health, upon notice, on 21 September 2005:
(1) Is it reasonable for a complainant with an urgent request for action to have to wait three weeks to receive a response from the Health Complaints Commissioner;
(2) Is there a Code of Ethics that the ACT Community Health Administrators abide by in dealing with their clients; if so, does it include respect for their patients and their involvement in drastic decisions concerning their care and can the Minister provide a copy of the document;
(3) Does ACT Community Nursing have the authority to refuse and/or cancel clients’ treatment after nearly four years of providing a particular service, for example bowel care, even if this is against the clients’ wishes or in the best interests of the client’s health outcomes;
(4) Does ACT Community Nursing have the power to withdraw all services without notice.
Mr Corbell: The answer to the member’s question is as follows:
(1) Whilst a complainant may request urgent action on his or her concerns, the Commissioner is obliged to assess all complaints under the Community and Health Services Complaints Act 1993. A response by the Commissioner to a complainant within three weeks is reasonable in the majority of cases, particularly where the Commissioner requires a reply to the complaint from the service provider. The factors that will affect the time taken to assess a complaint include: time to allow for any action the service provider might take in an effort to resolve the complaint directly with the consumer, where that is appropriate; the complexity and the urgency of the issues raised in the complaint; the circumstances of the parties; and the requirement for the Commissioner’s processes to be procedurally fair.
The Commissioner has established standards for the timely and efficient handling of complaints, which include regular contact with the parties and completion of the assessment of a complaint within ten weeks of the complaint being made.
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