Page 161 - Week 01 - Wednesday, 12 February 2020
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MS STEPHEN-SMITH: In relation to his first question, I refer Mr Wall to my previous answer. My response to his second question: yes.
MRS DUNNE: Minister, how can the people of Canberra be confident that the Labor-Greens government’s promises on health will be fulfilled, given that you have already abandoned many of the previous commitments made on health in 2008 and 2012 and you have failed to deliver on the 2016 commitments?
MS STEPHEN-SMITH: I thank Mrs Dunne for the question but I reject the premise of it. I do not believe that we have failed to deliver on many 2016 election commitments. As I have already mentioned, many projects in the 2008 capital asset development plan were in fact delivered by successive Labor governments: the Centenary Hospital for Women and Children, the Canberra Region Cancer Centre, the southern car park, the adult mental health unit. We have also built an entire new hospital—the University of Canberra Hospital—and we have developed a network of five nurse-led walk-in centres.
The list goes on and on in relation to the infrastructure investments that we have made, including the expansion of Calvary hospital’s emergency department which will open its new treatment spaces next month, delivering a 50 per cent increase in emergency department capacity at Calvary Public Hospital in Bruce and a 20 per cent increase in emergency department capacity across the territory-wide hospital system, because we understand that Calvary Public Hospital is also an important partner. We have also increased beds at Calvary hospital. We have also invested in new operating theatres at Calvary Public Hospital, one this year and one next year.
In short, Canberrans understand that the ACT Labor government is absolutely committed to continuing to deliver excellent healthcare for Canberrans when and where they need it. The only people in this place who are creating confusion about the future of our health system are those opposite.
ACT Health—medical training
MISS C BURCH: My question is to the Minister for Health. I refer to the medical training survey released this month. It found that trainee doctors in the ACT public health system were the least likely in the nation to recommend it as a place for doctor training. Only 62 per cent of trainee doctors recommended the ACT, as opposed to 77 per cent nationally. It also found that 41 per cent of trainee doctors had either experienced or witnessed bullying, harassment or discrimination, and that their complaints were the least likely in the nation to be followed up. Minister, why is the ACT public health system the least favoured place in Australia for doctor training?
MS STEPHEN-SMITH: I thank Miss Burch for her question but reject the final part of her question: the premise, the way she worded her question.
This survey was the first of its kind, providing all medical trainees with an opportunity to participate. It was conducted between July and October 2019, only quite shortly after the government response to the culture review was tabled by the former minister in May 2019.
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