24 January 2012

The mental health centre draws slowly to completion

| johnboy
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Chief Minister Gallagher was in full blown pollyanna mode this morning announcing the Adult Mental Health Unit will be finished in “about a month”.

As announcements go “we’ll be done soon” don’t really rate.

“We’re going to build it”, “We’ve started building it”, and “We’ve opened it” are things you can sink your teeth into whereas “We’re announcing for a second time we’d like to build it if we can find some money” and “We’re still building it” are rather lacking in vim, brio, or relevance to anyone other than the flack who had to write it and pretend to be excited.

So in the face of widespread indifference it has fallen to the Liberals’ Jeremy Hanson to point out that the “soon” to be finished facility was due back in September 2010.

The ACT Labor Government today announced its promised adult mental health centre is ‘near completion,’ despite originally promising its delivery by September 2010, ACT Shadow Health Minister Jeremy Hanson said today.

“When it comes to delivering infrastructure on time and on budget, particularly in the area of health, the ACT Labor Government simply can’t get it done,” Mr Hanson said.

“As we expect to see so much of this year, Katy Gallagher is today touting the project is ‘near completion’ while it is 16 months late and $2 million over budget.

“We’re still waiting for the Women and Children’s Hospital which was promised at the last election and is already more than $21 million over budget.

“But Katy Gallagher continues to make empty announcements and cut ribbons while the facilities still aren’t available for use.

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Haven’t they just sent the two Jindalee dementia patients to a secure mental health unit? I wondered where they meant.

I think it’s amazing that the ACT is going to have such a facility. Not many other towns/cities are lucky enough to have something like this.

I do find it funny that a Liberal MLA is having a go at Labor for failing to deliver infrastructure on time and on budget. If he was in charge he would fail to deliver anything.

Mental Health Worker said :

I-filed said :

Must check for what was happening concurrently that Katie didn’t want us to know about …

Like the fact that the secure mental health unit was dropped quietly earlier this year…

MHW

They already have the AMC for that.

Mental Health Worker8:26 pm 25 Jan 12

I-filed said :

Must check for what was happening concurrently that Katie didn’t want us to know about …

Like the fact that the secure mental health unit was dropped quietly earlier this year…

MHW

I-filed said :

Must check for what was happening concurrently that Katie didn’t want us to know about …

Like….ummmm….a colleague having a very public meltdown and looking like a fool, perhaps?

I-filed said :

Must check for what was happening concurrently that Katie didn’t want us to know about …

Cruel, but fair.

Must check for what was happening concurrently that Katie didn’t want us to know about …

Will it be half a unit when it is officially opened? Maybe we can look forward to another year or two of completion and refinement works?

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