Page 94 - Week 02 - Wednesday, 24 May 1989
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Services. Furthermore, the occupational health and safety legislation, which we plan to introduce tomorrow, will ensure the highest possible safety standards in every workplace in the ACT and reduce the load on our health system which is caused by workplace injuries.
Mr Speaker, I have mainly dealt with health care areas today because they are our priorities at the moment. There are many other issues of concern within my portfolio and to this Government in the health and community services area. The ACT community deserves a well organised, accessible system of health care and community services.
We plan to provide this through consultation, and in close cooperation with all the interest groups that are involved. This includes the relevant unions, health workers themselves and the consumers. There are many problems that will take time to solve, but our Government is well placed to begin to tackle them in a constructive and productive way.
DR KINLOCH (11.57): Those of us in the Residents Rally much appreciated the Chief Minister's statement, with much of which we find ourselves in total agreement. We very much endorse the commitment to fighting injustice, to supporting social justice, and attacking discrimination in all forms. I honour and respect our own Residents Rally leader, Bernard Collaery, for his initiatives and courage in those same matters. I look forward to the Chief Minister and our leader cooperating in those tremendously important matters.
I have been charmed by the speeches this morning, and I hope that I may just veer away slightly in responding to the Chief Minister's excellent address. I was delighted to hear Mr Humphries make the reference to Disraeli. I had already detected a touch of Disraeli about him, and may he continue in that line. Friends, brothers and sisters, I immediately thought to myself, "Bill Stefaniak - Gladstone". I looked over at Ellnor as I heard her excellent address, and I thought "There is the tradition of Ben Chifley" - and may it be so, Ellnor.
And Trevor Kaine I see as the Robert Menzies of the house. Craig Duby - Craig, I hope you will understand this, coming from where I do - is the Harry Truman of this place. I have to say to him that Harry Truman would never have got rid of good government. One could go on, and I do propose to go on shortly. Please do not be distressed if you are omitted, because I am not sure that I have the exact title for each person in the House. I will, however, produce my little list of the appropriate people I see you as having a relation to.
Of course, Mr Speaker, you yourself I see as the Sam Rayburn of this place. Most of my references are American ones, and perhaps I need to explain some of them, but he was a most distinguished Speaker for very many years, and I hope you will follow his example.
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