Page 2251 - Week 08 - Wednesday, 5 June 2013
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challenges that we may face. The budget also delivers critical social reforms, which will ensure fairness, opportunity and appropriate support for the most vulnerable in our community.
As I mentioned earlier I will now draw members’ attention to some aspects of this budget which will greatly benefit constituents in my electorate.
As is now well known, Canberra’s population, and that of Australia generally, is ageing. In fact, over the last two decades the median age of the Australian population has increased by 4.8 per cent according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, and the ACT’s population is ageing faster than anywhere else in Australia. It is expected that by 2047 the proportion of people living in the ACT aged 65 years and over will represent 21.5 per cent of the total population, which is double the current elderly portion of our population. This means there are proportionately more elderly people within the population, which presents unique challenges for governments throughout Australia in diverse areas such as labour force participation, housing and, particularly, health.
There has been much discussion in this place about our health system. While I, and indeed those on this side, believe that we have a great health system, those opposite have persistently talked our health system down and refused to acknowledge the hard work of our doctors, nurses and other front-line health service personnel. Unlike those opposite, this government understands, and in this budget the government is investing $8.3 million to complete planning and forward design for the new University of Canberra public hospital. As you all know, when complete this will mean an extra 200 beds, with aged care, mental health and subacute services.
The budget also allocates funding for an additional 15 beds at the Calvary Public Hospital, comprising 11 general inpatient beds, 10 of which will come on early in 2013-14, the other ones coming on from January 2014, and a four-bed designated stroke unit. Further to this, there is $12 million provided to expand access to emergency medicine and rapid assessment services at our public hospitals. From this provision, Calvary Public Hospital, which is in my electorate, will establish a new eight-bed rapid assessment unit to improve access to specialist services.
It does not stop there, Madam Speaker. There is also a $9 million allocation to expand the new Belconnen health centre to provide more high quality services, including a nurse-led walk-in centre, breast screening, aged care and rehabilitation services and community mental health services. All this provides for the needs of our health system into the future and will ensure that Canberrans, and indeed the people of Ginninderra, have access to the quality health care that they need and deserve.
This government recognises the diverse opportunities that a quality education presents to our children and young people, and has, over the years, endeavoured to ensure that all ACT children, notwithstanding their circumstances, have access not only to quality education facilities but also to quality teaching. That is why I was pleased when the ACT government recently signed the national education reform agreement with the commonwealth, which, as you know, will focus on further improving students’ learning and on strengthening teaching, school leadership, transparency and accountability. No doubt many of my constituents will benefit greatly.
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