Page 2181 - Week 06 - Thursday, 6 June 2019
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According to last month’s debate, the government has engaged a consultancy firm to understand the increased demand for hydrotherapy and to lay out a plan for the provision of services. The Canberra Liberals will be listening and watching carefully to ensure that the minister achieves the stated aim of finding a suitable solution on Canberra’s south side.
In a somewhat cruel twist, the government, throughout this process, seemed to fail to understand that the hydrotherapy pool users require the pool to be heated to between 34 and 36 degrees Celsius. Minister Steel, Minister Fitzharris and the Chief Minister made commitments over the last 12 months that the new Stromlo leisure centre would include a hydrotherapy facility. It turns out that it will not. Possibly it was never going to. There is a difference between hydrotherapy at 34 to 36 degrees and what the government refers to as “warm water usage”, which is not the same and is not suitable for many of the hydro users. It was cruel treatment of this group of people, who are reliant on limited time at these facilities, that there seemed to be an offer of a public hydrotherapy facility, only to find that it was never really an offer at all.
Finally, I return to the over 3,000 petitioners and say, “Good on you.” Good on you for not taking no for an answer, for exercising your democratic right and for doing the hard work to bring this issue here to the Assembly and to our committee system, in order to show the minister the level of support in our electorate and further south for adequate facilities to keep you mobile, to keep you off heavy painkillers and to keep you as independent as possible for as long as possible. You are the reason we are here, and I hope the government will do as the minister for health has promised this time, and make sure that you have the right hydrotherapy facilities and a growth in the availability of these facilities in the years to come.
I thank Arthritis ACT, the Woden Valley Community Council and all of their great members and supporters for helping to spread the word and collect signatures for the petition. I hope that all of their hard work yields positive results for the community.
I seek leave to table an out-of-order online petition, which has an additional 212 signatures.
Leave granted.
MRS JONES: I present the following paper:
Petition which does not conform with the standing orders—Hydrotherapy services in South Canberra—Mrs Jones (212 signatures).
Question resolved in the affirmative.
Paper
Out-of-order petition
MR RATTENBURY (Kurrajong) (10.06), by leave: I table the following paper:
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