Page 3495 - Week 10 - Tuesday, 17 September 2019

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I think we all know them—who does his talking out on the park. He hates talking in front of a crowd with a microphone thrust in front of him. I think it was the toughest thing that he did all day, but he even did that well. Well done to the Bushrangers!

Health—hydrotherapy pool

MS BERRY (Ginninderra—Deputy Chief Minister, Minister for Education and Early Childhood Development, Minister for Housing and Suburban Development, Minister for the Prevention of Domestic and Family Violence, Minister for Sport and Recreation and Minister for Women) (4.18): Madam Deputy Speaker, I wanted to figure out a way to correct or to provide some more information following your contribution to the MPI around the hydrotherapy pool. I will take the chance to do it now.

I want to read out the letter that the health minister provided at the time, to clarify the information around the hydrotherapy pool at Stromlo. You implied in your speech that the former health minister had somehow been untruthful. She wrote to the Speaker on 22 October last year to correct the record after questions were asked of her around hydrotherapy. Based on advice, she had given a response which was not entirely correct, and she wrote to Joy to correct the record. She wrote:

I am writing to clarify the record regarding evidence I gave to the Select Committee on Estimates 2018-2019 (the Committee) in its inquiry into the Appropriation Bill 2018-2019 …

During the Committee’s public hearing on 21 June 2018, in response to a question from Ms Le Couteur … I gave evidence that a pool located at the Stromlo Leisure Centre would be a hydrotherapy pool.

I am advised the Stromlo Leisure Centre will not include a stand-alone hydrotherapy pool, but will include a pool capable of some types of aquatic based hydrotherapy.

That is indeed the case. The letter continues:

I became aware of the need for this clarification regarding the pool to be located at the Stromlo Leisure Centre after the report of the Committee was tabled in the Assembly and the Committee subsequently dissolved. I therefore seek your assistance in tabling this letter in the Assembly to clarify my evidence to the Committee.

And that is what she did. I put that on the record, Madam Deputy Speaker, because Ms Fitzharris is no longer here to provide a personal statement. I feel that that provides a little bit more information regarding your speech earlier today.

Question resolved in the affirmative.

The Assembly adjourned at 4.21 pm.


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