Page 3685 - Week 10 - Tuesday, 18 September 2018

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MR PETTERSSON: Did the citizens forum come to a conclusion about the allocation of playground funding?

MR STEEL: I thank the member for his question. Work commenced on the participatory budgeting activity to allocate $1.9 million in better infrastructure funding to play spaces on the last day of the citizens forum. Seventeen stakeholder groups provided submissions for consideration by the forum on play spaces. A member information pack was also provided as a background brief for citizens forum members, and presentations on the day included those from community petitioners, a play space expert and government representatives.

The citizens forum felt that they were not able to make a decision on the allocation of the funding on the final day of the forum. That is why a second play spaces forum day will be held on 22 September, this week, to move forward with decision-making. It is very pleasing to note that 32 of the original forum members have expressed interest in participating in this exciting next stage.

I know that there is a lot of interest from different communities around Canberra that presented to the play spaces forum about the allocation of these funds. I ask that they bear with us for a little longer so that the citizens forum can finalise their deliberations. It is expected that all budgeting allocations will be complete by mid-October 2018.

ACT Health—workplace culture

MS LAWDER: My question is to the Minister for Health and Wellbeing. I refer to comments made by the Australian Salaried Medical Officers Federation ACT secretary, Stephen Crook, on 12 September about your plans for a secret inquiry into ACT Health culture. He said:

It needs to be a full judicial inquiry and it needs to be played out in public. They’ve had these bullying and harassment reviews before and nothing has really changed.

Minister, why have the government’s previous bullying and harassment reviews failed to lead to cultural change in ACT Health and Canberra Hospital and health services?

MS FITZHARRIS: I note that a number of Mr Crook’s claims were incorrect. But, having said that, as I have previously answered already, I have announced an independent inquiry. I am aware of a number of previous reviews into some specific areas within the hospital over a long period. I have announced an independent inquiry into workplace culture in the delivery of public health services and I look forward to providing more information on that in the very near future.

MS LAWDER: Minister, will the government have full control over when the report is released?

MS FITZHARRIS: I look forward to providing more details about the independent review in the very near future.


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