Hon. Stephen Dawson questions the Minister for Health regarding raw sewage flooding the Jigalong clinic and a $300,000 operating shortfall at the Puntukurnu Aboriginal Medical Service. The Minister's response indicates a lack of awareness and defers responsibility to the Commonwealth government and a special administrator.

AnsweredQoN 165Legislative Council
Asked
12 March 2014
Portfolio
Health

QuestionView source ↗

PUNTUKURNU
ABORIGINAL MEDICAL SERVICE
165. Hon STEPHEN DAWSON to the
parliamentary secretary representing the Minister for Health:
I refer to the Puntukurnu Aboriginal Medical Service.
(1) Is the
minister aware that in the past two months the service's Jigalong
clinic has been flooded with raw sewage on a weekly basis; and, if yes, what
action, if any, has the minister taken to address this matter?
(2) If no to (1),
what action will the minister now take to address this matter?
(3) Is the
minister aware that the medical service has a current operating shortfall of
$300 000; and, if no, will the minister commit to taking action in conjunction
with other ministers to remedy this problem?
(4) If yes to
(3), what action, if any, has the minister taken to address this matter?

AnswerView source ↗

I thank the honourable member for some notice of this
question.
(l) No.
(2) Of the
four clinics that Puntukurnu Aboriginal Medical Service operates from in the
East Pilbara, only the Jigalong clinic is registered as a state government
asset. The commonwealth government appointed a special administrator to the
PAMS role that includes assessing and making recommendations on the buildings,
including any repairs or upgrades that may be needed. To date, no list of
repairs and maintenance issues has been received by the Western Australian
Department of Health. The Department of Health is currently following up with
the special administrator regarding this matter.
(3) No; the
commonwealth government is the core funding body for Aboriginal medical
services and provides Puntukurnu with its operational budget.
(4) Not applicable.

Explore WA Government Data

Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.

Explore more