Page 79 - Week 01 - Tuesday, 11 February 2020
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
Work Health and Safety Act—Work Health and Safety (Work Safety Council) Appointment Revocation 2019 (No 1)—Disallowable Instrument DI2019-262 (LR, 4 December 2019).
Inquest into the death of Lauren Maree Johnstone—coroner’s report and government response
MR GENTLEMAN (Brindabella—Minister for Advanced Technology and Space Industries, Minister for the Environment and Heritage, Minister for Planning and Land Management and Minister for Police and Emergency Services) (4.00): Pursuant to standing order 211, I move:
That the Assembly take note of the following paper:
Coroners Act, pursuant to subsection 57(4)—Report of Coroner—Inquest into the death of Lauren Maree Johnstone—Report and Government response.
MS STEPHEN-SMITH (Kurrajong—Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs, Minister for Children, Youth and Families, Minister for Health and Minister for Urban Renewal) (4.01): I rise to speak to the ACT government’s response to the coronial recommendations from the inquest into the death of Lauren Maree Johnstone. I would firstly like to acknowledge the tragedy of Ms Johnstone’s death and offer my sincere condolences to her family—her daughter Arian Bunyan, who is with us in the Assembly today; her other daughter, Tamara Johnstone; and her sister, Donna Jones; and all of her family and friends. On behalf of the ACT government, I extend our sincere sympathies for your loss.
Chief Coroner Walker found that Ms Johnstone died on 7 January 2015 from the combined toxic effect of prescription and non-prescription medications that were lawfully acquired. Ms Johnstone’s death came about as a result of compliance with her prescribed medication regime aggravated by the addition of non-prescription medication. The government has considered the coroner’s report and its five recommendations. The government supports two recommendations in full, supports two in part and notes one of the recommendations relevant to the government. The ACT Health Directorate will engage with representatives from the local professional and consumer bodies to progress the supported coronial recommendations.
The government notes the Chief Coroner’s recommendation to mandate the use of the DORA—Drugs and Poisons Information System Online Remote Access—real-time prescription monitoring website. Unfortunately, system limitations currently preclude making the ACT DORA system mandatory for prescribers and pharmacists. The ACT adoption of the national real-time prescription monitoring system by 2021 will, however, significantly increase functionality for prescribers and dispensers. Following the rollout of the new system, the government will re-evaluate the potential to mandate the use of real-time prescription monitoring in the ACT. More broadly, the ACT government is working with all jurisdictions to reduce the harm from medicines. This is why I supported making the quality use of medicines and medicine safety the tenth national health priority area at the Council of Australian Governments Health Council meeting in November 2019. This agreement will lead to a coordinated
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video