Page 2840 - Week 07 - Tuesday, 29 June 2010
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For the first nine months of 2009-10, 96 percent of the most urgent elective surgery patients were admitted for surgery within the standard 30 day maximum waiting time.
Mr Speaker, the ACT Mental Health Services plan, launched in 2009, commits to establishing several new services including a new access and information service, mental health assessment services at the Emergency Departments of the Canberra Hospital and Calvary Hospital and the building of new acute inpatient facilities for young persons and adults, including a secure care unit. In addition, the range of step-up, step-down services in the community will be enhanced under the Plan. Crisis services will be more flexible with home based and day treatment options available. These are just some of the commitments under the Plan.
A Fair and Safe Community
The objective of the Fair and Safe Community theme, Mr Speaker, is to ensure that all Canberrans enjoy the benefits of living in a community that is safe, socially inclusive and respectful of human rights, that all Canberrans are able to fully participate in community life and that the most vulnerable in our community are respected and supported.
The ACT Human Rights Act was reviewed after five years of operation. The review indicated that implementation of the Act has generally advanced the Act’s objectives and states that ‘One of the clearest effects of the Human Rights Act has been to improve the quality of law-making in the Territory to ensure that human rights concerns are given due consideration in the framing of new legislation and policy.’
The ACT’s Child and Family Centres continue to provide a one-stop shop for families in the Gungahlin and Tuggeranong Communities. The Australian Government via the Indigenous Early Childhood Development National Partnership is providing just over $8 million over five years to the ACT for a Child and Family Centre targeting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families which is to be built in west Belconnen.
The 2010-11 budget provides $379,000 for staffing to implement the ACT’s commitments to the Indigenous Early Childhood Development National Partnership and the National Quality Agenda Partnership Agreement.
The Government recently launched a refresh of the ACT Children’s Plan which includes a focus on consulting with children to enhance Canberra as a child friendly city.
The important work of Canberra’s carers has been recognised with the establishment of the Carers Advocacy Service. Carers will now be able to get financial and legal assistance, information from one central point about respite care.
Our emergency services have also been boosted in the last year, Mr Speaker, with an additional six Community Fire Units in the 2009-10 financial year. It is anticipated a further six Community Fire Units will be established in the 2010-11 financial year.
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