Canberra Now: Canberra Hospital pool to close, Braddon to be Raiders centre of excellence
Good morning Canberra.
Welcome to another working week! We're in for a partly cloudy day for Monday with a slight chance of a shower in the afternoon. Rug up - it'll be a top of 15 degrees.
Here's what's making headlines.
Braddon to become centre of Raiders excellence
Making sporting news ... A groundbreaking three-way deal will see the ACT and NSW governments team up to help the Canberra Raiders secure their long-term NRL future and put them in the heart of the city.
As part of the ACT budget, Fairfax Media can reveal the ACT government will announce $5 million in funding over three years for the Raiders centre of excellence at Northbourne Oval today.
Their NSW counterparts have pledged $4 million, while the Raiders Group will fund the rest.
Read David Polkinghorne's story here.
Commonwealth Games asylum seekers denied psych access
A Canberra law firm representing a number of Commonwealth Games athletes seeking asylum in Australia says Home Affairs has rejected their clients’ request to postpone protection visa interviews so they can access psychological counselling.
Earlier this month, Senate Estimates heard almost 200 Commonwealth Games athletes and officials applied for various visas - predominantly protection visas - after the Gold Coast event. Another 50 had remained in the country illegally.
Emily Baker has the story.
A grandfather's death lays bare the gaps in the palliative care system
An ACT parliamentary inquiry on end-of-life chocies has heard how bed block at Canberra's only palliative care hospice, understaffed wards and poor communication made the final days of an 81-year-old unbearable.
Reporter Katie Burgess tells the story of Phillip Higgs, whose daughter Michaelle Heine said while she believes her father would have wanted the option of euthanasia, the Canberra Hospital needed to have a palliative care ward with dedicated staff.
Read the story here.
Canberra Hospital pool to close
Concerns have been raised after it was revealed Canberra Hospital's warm water exercise pool will close at the end of the month when the University of Canberra Rehabilitation Hospital opens.
Pool users report that despite the new pool opening, the closure was short-sighted.
Read Daniella White's story here.
Gold Creek Homestead taken off the market
Earlier this year, the Gold Creek Homestead was put on the market for sale via a tender process by the Suburban Land Agency.
But just days before final submissions were handed in, the agency has removed it from the market, saying it would "provide more time to work towards a better balance of social and financial benefits for the ACT community".
Read my story here.