Page 4837 - Week 13 - Tuesday, 27 November 2018
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carefully about the way that they denigrate our public health services and our public healthcare workforce.
MRS DUNNE: Minister, what are you doing to support the two women who appear to have been sacked by the Canberra Hospital’s health cleaning contractor?
MS FITZHARRIS: I asked Canberra Health Service to look into the matter.
Health—abortion
MS LE COUTEUR: My question is also to the health minister, and it is about the commencement of my abortion access legislation. Minister, have you notified the commencement date for this legislation? If not, could you please outline why, and do you have a commencement date in mind?
MS FITZHARRIS: I thank Ms Le Couteur for the question. No, I have not yet. I understand there are a couple of implementation issues that are being worked through. I will take the rest of the question on notice.
MS LE COUTEUR: What consultation and education work has been done with medical practitioners and pharmacists in the ACT?
MS FITZHARRIS: That is exactly the work that is being planned now.
MR COE: Minister, to the best of your knowledge, what are the implementation issues that you are working through?
MS FITZHARRIS: A number of issues, including, exactly as Ms Le Couteur’s question implied, education and awareness-raising amongst GP practices—a number of whom have already expressed an interest in providing this service; some of whom I have met with—and also working with community pharmacies about the dispensing obligations under this new legislation which will allow more Canberra women to access safe abortion care right here in the territory.
Health portfolio—workplace culture
MRS DUNNE: My question is to the Minister for Health and Wellbeing. I refer to a report on staff incident reporting trends for the first quarter of 2018 for mental health, justice health and alcohol and drug services. It shows that there were 122 incidents of mental stress reported in the 12 months to March this year. Why is there such a high level of mental stress in the areas associated with mental health, justice health and drug and alcohol services?
MR RATTENBURY: Madam Speaker, I will take responsibility for this question. Obviously, the question Mrs Dunne has asked cuts across areas that both the minister for health and I are responsible for, because in respect of mental health, justice health and alcohol and drug services, I have the first two parts of that and Minister Fitzharris takes responsibility for alcohol and drug services.
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