HAMPSTEAD REHABILITATION CENTRE

The Hon. J.A. DARLEY (15:02): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Industrial Relations, representing the Minister for Health, a question about the Hampstead Rehabilitation Centre.

Leave granted.

The Hon. J.A. DARLEY: My office has recently received information regarding the Hampstead Rehabilitation Centre and some problems that were encountered in implementing the government's paid parking scheme. I understand that an access ramp at the centre was repositioned so that boom gates could be installed. I am told that when the ramp was rebuilt the incline was so steep that a power wheelchair tipped backwards when trying to negotiate the ramp. I do not imagine that such a ramp would meet the standards required and consider it to be particularly poor that a centre where a large number of clients rely on wheelchairs cannot support and facilitate a safe wheelchair environment.

I am told that the boom gates installed do not have sensors which would automatically stop them should they sense an object underneath the gate. As a result, I understand that a number of people have been hit or very nearly hit on the head by the boom gates. This is hardly ideal for a rehabilitation hospital. Brain-injured clients should be accommodated in a safe environment which would allow them to leave the wards rather than expose them to further risk of injury.

Further to this, I am told that the location of the boom gates is poorly positioned and that staff are often walking in the vicinity of the entrance/exit. In the first few days after the boom gates were installed I understand that there was a considerable amount of confusion for motorists and that one pedestrian was struck by a car when it unexpectedly reversed to gain a better position to the boom gate.

I am also told that the boom gates were installed before all vehicles were removed from the car park which effectively trapped the owners' cars in the car park until an attendant arrived to let them out and that the construction of the new car park caused significant noise and vibrations which apparently led to large cracks appearing in an adjacent building. I understand that works on the new car park were halted until an engineering report could be done to assess the structural integrity of the cracked building and that this inspection caused further disruptions for staff as it occurred during core business hours. My questions are:

1. Is the minister aware of the situations outlined above?

2. Given that many of the problems encountered above could have been avoided with more careful planning, can the minister advise why more appropriate attention to these matters was not given in the design phase?

3. Can the minister advise how much money was used to rectify the mistakes made?

4. Is the minister aware of similar problems encountered at other sites which have recently introduced paid parking?

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY (Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for State/Local Government Relations) (15:05): I thank the honourable member for his very important question. I will take it on notice and refer it to the Minister for Health and get an answer back from him as soon as possible.