Page 1166 - Week 04 - Tuesday, 2 April 2019

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MS BERRY: The ACT government is committed to continuing to improve, renew and grow public housing. While we are at the end of the current program, a new one is just around the corner. A new energy efficient program with public housing, part of the energy efficiency improvement scheme, is investing $5.713 million to install 2,200 new appliances in homes over the next three years. These efficient units, predominantly reverse-cycle heaters, will lower the cost of living for tenants as well as reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Last year I announced a $100 million investment in growing and renewing public housing as part of the new housing strategy. This program will continue to work with the current renewal program but will also grow stock to provide more secure and affordable housing for people on the housing register.

In total the program will build 1,200 new homes with an extra 200 homes added to the public housing supply. This is a significant investment in the ACT’s public housing. Over 10 years we will have renewed 20 per cent of our public housing and we will be one of the few jurisdictions to be increasing public housing.

The ACT government is committed to public housing. I look forward to seeing these investments have a real impact on the lives of so many Canberrans.

Canberra Health Services—unauthorised examinations

MRS KIKKERT: My question is to the Minister for Health and Wellbeing. I refer to comments attributed to your spokeswoman in the media on 2 April 2019 about vaginal examinations in Canberra Health Services being done without patients’ consent. Your spokeswoman said:

As the Minister said when this issue was raised, it is a very serious matter and [Canberra Health Services] have subsequently held meetings with staff to discuss it …

Minister, were staff in those meetings asked whether any patients had raised issues about procedures being performed without consent?

MS FITZHARRIS: I believe in some of the meetings yes, but I will take the specifics on notice.

MRS KIKKERT: Minister, have you directed Canberra Health Services to contact the patient at the centre of this incident?

MS FITZHARRIS: As members will know, it is impossible to identify that person, given that they made an anonymous submission.

MRS DUNNE: Minister, have you taken any steps to identify the anonymous complainant and to ensure that this patient has been offered support because of the ordeal she saw fit to complain about?


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