Page 1577 - Week 05 - Thursday, 15 May 2014
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This bill is a positive step forward for the protection of personal information. It signifies that the government is committed to ensuring that it has the appropriate high-level frameworks to guide the rollout of innovative and emerging technologies and public services that will provide new and integrated ways for the public to do business with ACT government directorates.
The bill recognises that while government efficiency and service accessibility are important for the public, there remains a strong public desire that the appropriate mechanisms are in place to regulate the collection, use, disclosure and storage of personal information by government agencies. And this bill provides for those mechanisms.
I thank members for their support of the bill and I commend it to the Assembly.
Question resolved in the affirmative.
Bill agreed to in principle.
Detail stage
Clause 1.
Debate (on motion by Mr Corbell) adjourned to the next sitting.
Sitting suspended from 12.10 to 2.30 pm.
Questions without notice
Hospitals—bed occupancy rates
MR HANSON: My question is to the Minister for Health. Minister, the ACT public health service’s quarterly performance report of December 2013 showed an overnight bed occupancy rate for public hospitals in the ACT as 92 per cent full, against a safe performance figure of 85 per cent. Minister, you are reported as saying that the rate recently increased to 95 or 96 per cent. The rate has been higher than the safe level for four years. Minister, why is this unsafe bed occupancy rate continuing to decline even after you have been aware of the problem for four years?
MS GALLAGHER: Because presentations and admissions to the hospital have risen. That is the short answer. I would say, though, that the target is 90 per cent for bed occupancy, not 85.
Opposition members interjecting—
MS GALLAGHER: Well, in Victoria it is actually funded at 95 per cent. They actually lose money if their beds are not full for 95 per cent of the time, under activity-based funding. So we have set a target of 90 per cent. That is what we believe allows for the efficient and safe running of the hospital at times, and at times we have
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