Page 2969 - Week 07 - Thursday, 30 June 2011

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new practice with a number of new GPs coming to the region. The clinic will initially be staffed by Australian doctors but Ochre Health also intends to recruit GPs from the United Kingdom.

While the ACT is limited in how it can assist a private business, once established any GP practice would then be able to apply for a grant under the GP development fund. Whilst there is no additional funding to undertake investigative work on the feasibility of establishing a new co-op clinic in the ACT, I am confident that there is considerable information available to any organisation wishing to do so, arising from the first-hand experience of the success of the west Belconnen cooperative. Additionally, if I were to receive a special application seeking assistance from a new group who were planning on establishing themselves as a cooperative in the ACT, I would look favourably upon any such approach, with a view to seeing whether the government could assist them in any way.

The government has established a range of new services using innovative models of primary healthcare delivery and we will continue to support others who are motivated to help meet the primary healthcare needs of the ACT community.

Executive business—precedence

Ordered that executive business be called on.

Appropriation Bill 2011-2012

[Cognate paper:

Estimates 2011-2012—Select Committee report—government response]

Debate resumed from 29 June 2011.

Proposed expenditure—Part 1.7—Treasury Directorate—$52,034,000 (net cost of outputs), $116,277,000 (capital injection) and $22,609,000 (payments on behalf of the territory), totalling $190,920,000.

MR ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Mr Hargreaves): I remind members that in debating order of the day No 1 executive business they may also address their remarks to the report of the Select Committee on Estimates and the government response to the estimates report.

MR SMYTH (Brindabella) (11.33): I will take up where I finished last night. The Treasurer is here, which is a good thing. I note she would be disappointed if I did not continue to urge her to be more open and accountable. I think I finished last night with recommendation 30 and the government’s response. The recommendation was:

The Committee recommends that the ACT Government conduct a review of the efficacy of the efficiency dividend policy, in particular how the delivery of services has or will be affected.

The government does not agree with this. What it does is it says in its answer:


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