Page 640 - Week 02 - Thursday, 22 February 2018
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All of this great work is also happening while the territory-wide health services framework is being developed. This is a very exciting initiative that I have spoken about on a number of occasions in the chamber, and I look forward to that work continuing and being guided by ACT Health staff, our many stakeholders throughout the city, and, of course, the important advisory group.
Prevention is also a key focus for me. Ultimately, keeping people well, preventing them from being in hospital in the first place, is a priority. We have demonstrated this commitment over many years, and more recently in last year’s budget, with $4 million to be invested in a number of preventive health programs, including our efforts to make Canberra a centre of excellence for preventive health. We have invested $150,000 with the University of Canberra to develop a “living lab” to promote healthy and active living.
Madam Deputy Speaker, I will close by referring to a number of significant achievements by ACT Health and this government. Indeed, over the last few months alone, we have opened grants for GPs who bulk-bill in the Tuggeranong and Molonglo valleys. We did, as you noted, provide a significant upgrade to Calvary Public Hospital maternity wards, because we have seen over past years, since the opening of Centenary, more women choosing to give birth at Centenary hospital, largely because of the facilities there and the provision particularly of single rooms. I am very pleased to see an increase in the number of single rooms at Calvary to assist the wonderful staff there—the wonderful nurses, midwives and doctors—to help women across our city to have their babies.
We have welcomed 95 new medical interns this week. There are new guidelines for opioid maintenance. Today I provided the final quarterly report on the system-wide data review, which has progressed very well, and I very much look forward to that concluding late next month. I thank Mrs Dunne for bringing forward this motion today. It is important that we have an excellent healthcare system in the ACT, and I am confident that we do. (Time expired.)
MS LEE (Kurrajong) (4.38): The importance of fixing the ongoing problems with the ACT public health system, as you raised, Madam Deputy Speaker, should be the highest priority of Minister Fitzharris and Minister Rattenbury. I thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker, for submitting this very important topic for discussion today to give me an opportunity to speak about the issues in the area of mental health, particularly in our schools.
As shadow minister for education, and as a former educator who has researched at law school the area of teacher and student wellbeing, I am only too conscious of the burden of mental health issues that affect our teachers and students. Only this week it was concerning to hear the findings of the principal health report that more than half of Canberra principals reported stress and almost 60 per cent experienced sleeping issues and burnout.
Only last month, Ms Loretta Wholley, the principal of Merici College, commented that boosted federal funding on youth mental health, while welcome, would not fix the
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