Page 1602 - Week 08 - Thursday, 28 September 1989
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We must always be terrified by this scourge until it is no longer a problem. There is no end in sight to this problem. There is no way that we can see an end to the problem. It may be that, as the numbers of people who contract this disease increase - and I hope that that will not be the case - the community will have more and more concern.
Australia, it is said, is a world leader in its attitude towards publicising and promoting preventive measures. Well, let this Assembly take some role in that and come up with whatever is possible to apprise the public of what it needs to do. If there are measures that can be taken in respect of AIDS, drugs and prostitution, then let us apply them. Mr Speaker, I am not looking forward to this task, but it is one that we must undertake.
DR KINLOCH (11.28): Mr Speaker, there was a question at one point about whether or not this matter would sit more appropriately with the Social Policy Committee, but I have no hesitation now in wanting to support the select committee as it is proposed, especially as three members of the Social Policy Committee would also be on the proposed committee. So where there might appear to be levels of overlay - drugs, for example, vis-a-vis public behaviour - I believe that these will be amply taken care of by the select committee.
MS MAHER (11.29): Mr Speaker, I rise to support the points made by Mr Moore, Mr Wood and Dr Kinloch and I am in favour of the motion. Mr Moore is proposing to introduce a select committee to examine the subject of AIDS, illegal drugs and prostitution. While I support the introduction of such a committee, I must stress that these need to be addressed as individual issues, but I accept that they do interrelate and also need to be looked at as a whole.
The issues are a great concern to the community, and the committee will provide an appropriate forum for the related matters to be aired and will allow those on all sides of the matter to have their say. As an example of what this committee will be able to deal with, I stress that AIDS and HIV at the moment are not defined under the ACT Public Health Act as infectious diseases. They are only classified as notifiable diseases. However, it is not even clear as to what legislation deals with this issue. The committee will also allow for legislation dealing with public health in general to be reviewed at some point in the future. I am most happy to see that Mr Moore has left this report open because the issue is of great concern and there is a lot within it to be reviewed and investigated.
MR HUMPHRIES (11.30): I seek leave to move two amendments together.
Leave granted.
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