Page 2140 - Week 06 - Wednesday, 5 June 2019
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The reality is that we run the risk of having to close community facilities because this government has failed to invest in their upgrade in a timely manner. The ACT has had a Labor government or a Labor-Greens government for nearly two decades, but our health infrastructure is crumbling and our health system is failing to deliver for the people of the ACT. In the meantime our hardworking doctors, nurses, health professionals and other staff must deliver services in outdated buildings with unreliable infrastructure, services and equipment. That means we have, as we discussed in question time today, quite poor outcomes and high costs because we are delivering in, in many cases, substandard circumstances.
I commend the motion to the Assembly.
MS FITZHARRIS (Yerrabi—Minister for Health and Wellbeing, Minister for Higher Education, Minister for Medical and Health Research, Minister for Transport and Minister for Vocational Education and Skills) (3.59): I thank Mrs Dunne for bringing this motion to the Assembly today, noting the continued negativity in the week when we make record investments in health infrastructure in the ACT. In just over a few weeks time we will be celebrating the first anniversary of the University of Canberra Hospital. If Mrs Dunne wishes to correct the record, I do not believe she mentioned the University of Canberra Hospital, in her own electorate, that is fast approaching its first birthday.
Mrs Dunne: It is not a critical piece of infrastructure reaching the end of its useful life.
MS FITZHARRIS: The University of Canberra Hospital is not a critical piece of health infrastructure?
Mrs Dunne: Reaching the end of its useful life.
MS FITZHARRIS: Speaking of things reaching the end of their useful life, I will respond to Mrs Dunne’s motion. Indeed, it gives me this opportunity to highlight our record investment. This budget invests almost $1 billion over the next five years in public health infrastructure, and we are building new, state-of the-art health facilities, expanding existing ones and refurbishing ageing infrastructure across our portfolio. We do this because Canberrans deserve access to a modern, innovative health system, and that is exactly what this government is delivering.
I have circulated an amendment to Mrs Dunne’s motion and I will move that at the conclusion of my speech. This reflects the work that has been done over the term of this government and highlights some of the other investments over the past decade. The amendment also commits to continuing the work we have done with clinicians and stakeholders to build a better healthcare system that can meet the needs of our growing community and commits to providing an update to the Assembly on the government’s territory-wide infrastructure planning. In this term of government alone, we have continued to invest in staff, health facilities management and the development of new healthcare facilities to meet the needs of our rapidly growing city.
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