Page 2339 - Week 07 - Thursday, 4 August 2016
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The contrast here between our health system and our provision of health services and the Liberals’ preferred Americanised health system—where it is your credit card, not your Medicare card that gets you access to health services—will be a key feature of the health debate in this city, and has been in this country this year.
The government has been expanding the Canberra Hospital emergency department. We have increased resources for intensive care and trauma services. We have also provided additional resources for the Calvary Hospital. The last budget funded 91 new nurses and 22 new doctors for our community; it invested significantly in the Canberra Hospital and the Centenary Hospital for Women and Children; and it continued the funding for the construction of the new subacute hospital at the University of Canberra.
In addition to health, high quality education is a further investment in our community and in our economy and ensures that we can continue to produce a strong, educated, creative and prosperous generation of school leaders and graduates with the values and skills that our community needs. These are the important things for this community.
There is $70 million in new funding for education in the 2016-17 budget. In 2016, enrolments in public schools grew to almost 45,000, which is 60 per cent of the ACT school population. This latest budget is also helping parents engage with schools, providing more support and training for teachers, providing more school psychologists and upgrading schools, teaching spaces and other education infrastructure.
Public housing is another vital community service for a significant number of Canberrans. In 2015-16, nearly 22,000 people were assisted in more than 10,500 public housing tenancies, providing safe, secure and affordable housing for low income households. Over 95 per cent of public housing tenants received a rental rebate, which established their rent at no more than 25 per cent of their gross weekly income. The government is investing more than half a billion dollars, the largest amount ever in the history of self government, in renewing our city’s public housing stock so that our public houses are more energy efficient, more comfortable and fit for purpose.
Other areas of government investment include public transport: $186 million. Our public transport system provides an affordable and efficient transport option for all Canberrans. Importantly, concessions are provided to those who need them most, and to all school students, to reduce travel costs for households.
The ACT government is also the council for the ACT. Through territory and municipal services, the new transport and city services area, $308 million was invested in a range of services. Many of these reduce the cost of living for Canberrans, including free access to information, including the internet in our libraries; and free collection of bulky waste for eligible households.
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