Page 4055 - Week 09 - Thursday, 26 August 2010
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MS BURCH: I am doing all I can do. We have had an open tender for that process. It was not successful across the three streams. We are now going back to the sector to work out how we can get that out as quickly as we can. But in the meantime, we are putting money into support, particularly the kinship carers group and the sector.
MS PORTER: A supplementary question, Mr Speaker.
MR SPEAKER: Yes, Ms Porter.
MS PORTER: Minister, what are the benefits of the program that has been awarded recently by tender to Marymead?
MS BURCH: The benefit of awarding a tender, a contract and a process such as this to Marymead is that this is a well-established, existing organisation that is well connected through the out-of-home care environment and that is known to families. Families are comfortable with them, and it will build on and add value to their existing services. They have existing relationships with a number of people that are in the kinship carers group, which seems to be a focus of those opposite. And the fact that they are well regarded and have a long history of being involved in this area places them in an incredibly good position to fulfil their requirements under this procurement. For them to be awarded a rigorous, independent bit of procurement shows that their submission clearly outlined how they were best able to do this and best suited for the job.
Domestic Animal Services—dogs
MS LE COUTEUR: My question is to the Minister for Territory and Municipal Services and concerns the outbreak of the parvovirus at the Domestic Animal Services facility which I understand has been closed since July. Minister, what is the extent of the parvo outbreak? How many dogs are affected and what is the government doing to bring this outbreak under control?
MR STANHOPE: I thank Ms Le Couteur for the question. I am not sure that I have available to me up-to-date information on the current situation in relation to the outbreak at the domestic dog shelter. I beg your pardon in relation to that. I will have to take the question on notice. I am happy to provide you with all the information in relation to the outbreak, the steps that have been taken and, indeed, the issues in relation to the implications for stray dogs or impounded dogs. I do not have the information. I will find it. I am more than happy to provide it to you.
MR SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Ms Le Couteur?
MS LE COUTEUR: Minister, can you please update the Assembly on the status of the maintenance upgrades and staff upgrades at Domestic Animal Services which were flagged at the estimates hearing in May? Have these upgrades occurred yet? If so, when and what were they?
MR STANHOPE: I thank Ms Le Couteur for the question. Indeed, I visited the domestic animal shelter I think probably six or seven weeks ago to meet with staff and
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