Page 2029 - Week 06 - Wednesday, 6 May 2009

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I think that is probably to a large extent a semantic argument; so I am happy to leave it at that. I look forward to seeing the supermarket policy released expeditiously.

Regarding the small business impacts clause, I appreciate that ACTPLA already does do some small business impact analysis but we would like to see this impact be particularly focused on small businesses. We do believe it needs to be made more effective. And that is one of the reasons it was part of the Labor-Greens agreement. However, I do not think that this is the appropriate forum to go through all of that. We just cannot do it here and now; so I am happy to agree to Mr Barr’s amendments and commend them to the Assembly.

Amendments agreed to.

Motion, as amended, agreed to.

Hospitals—disability care

MR DOSZPOT (Brindabella) (5.38): I move:

That this Assembly:

(1) notes:

(a) the increasing number of dischargeable patients with a disability in Ward 12B at The Canberra Hospital on the waiting list for an Individual Support Package (ISP);

(b) that at least one of these patients has been waiting on funding for an ISP from Disability ACT since July 2007;

(c) that retaining dischargeable patients in hospital for lengthy periods of time has a significant impact on the mental health and overall wellbeing of these patients and their families; and

(d) the increasing burden on ACT Health as a result of the inability of Disability ACT to fund ISPs for long term hospital patients; and

(2) calls on:

(a) the ACT Government to expedite a strategy to prepare for future patients who will be diagnosed with a profound disability that may require long term hospital care within the framework of the “Pathways from Hospital” program; and

(b) the Minister for Disability and Housing and the Minister for Health to report back to the Assembly by the end of this sitting week on the status of the individual who has been a dischargeable patient in Ward 12B at The Canberra Hospital since July 2007.

Mr Speaker, I rise today to present this motion in order to raise some significant issues relating to long-term hospital care of patients with a newly acquired disability. This issue was the first of many relating to the care and provision of support of people


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