Page 3375 - Week 08 - Tuesday, 17 August 2010
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
MR STANHOPE: We are currently involved in a first phase—at this stage no other work has been funded—and the work that is underway, as I say, is expensive. It is always expensive. It is perhaps interesting for members of this place to go to Bunda Street and observe the works that are underway and to reflect that they come at a cost of in excess of $5 million. In other words, from the new Actew building to Petrie Plaza—that is what we are talking about: from the new Actew building, at the taxi rank, to Petrie Plaza—the replacement of services and the pavement comes at a cost of $5 million. It is half of one side of Bunda Street.
Those are the issues that government deals with in relation to capital works and these are standards. The majority of that massive cost—it always comes as something of a frustration to me—is underground. We take the opportunity, as we pursue work such as we are pursuing in Bunda Street, to replace essentially all of the ageing services—the water, the sewage and the stormwater. Indeed, some of the electricity and the communications infrastructure are part and parcel of that.
Just by way of example of the issues governments deal with, I would ask members, the next time they are in Bunda Street, to reflect on the fact, as they walk along from Petrie Plaza to the corner of the Actew building, that $5.6 million or thereabouts is the cost of that upgrade. Consistent with the rolling out that is part and parcel of the rationale for the Civic action plan, we will, of course, complete the works within Bunda Street, as we will pursue a range of other works around the city.
Canberra Hospital—alleged bullying
MR HANSON: My question is to the Minister for Health. Minister, the recent review of service delivery and clinical outcomes at public maternity units in the Australian Capital Territory found:
There is evidence of a systemic reticence to address staff performance issues in the maternity unit at the Canberra Hospital, particularly issues of inappropriate behaviour by certain medical staff.
Why has your government been reticent to address this inappropriate behaviour? What is the behaviour that has been deemed inappropriate?
MS GALLAGHER: The report did not say the government was reticent to address behaviour. I think the report said there were views around management reticence at the hospital.
Mr Hanson: Systemic reticence at the Canberra Hospital.
MS GALLAGHER: I have to say, Mr Hanson, there are mixed views coming around the review. We are consulting with staff around the recommendations and the best way forward. I think I have said publicly there were things that could have been done, that should have been done, that were not done, in my view, from looking at it with what we know now. Probably there are some people in management positions who share that view of mine.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video