Page 2037 - Week 10 - Wednesday, 25 October 1989
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various parties or members - choose to use consultants, then I think that is in line with the spirit of this sort of program budgeting and the sort of budgeting that we see not only in Federal Government but also being introduced to our own system. I think that there is a choice for the Government to make, and that choice is either we all have consultants or nobody has consultants. I really do not mind at all which way the choice goes.
Amendment negatived.
Original question resolved in the negative.
FLUORIDE FILTERS
MR STEVENSON (11.22): I move:
That this Assembly is of the opinion that households and individuals domiciled in other than households be provided on request with suitable filters at Government expense to remove fluoride from their drinking water in order to reduce potential adverse health effects to susceptible individuals, and to allow freedom of choice and social justice.
MR SPEAKER: I wish to state that, in accordance with standing order 156, which relates to conflict of interest, I personally could be seen as having a conflict of interest in this circumstance because of a family business supplying water purifiers. Should a vote be taken I will not participate, and I will not participate in this debate.
MR STEVENSON: I raise this motion obviously because this Assembly has reintroduced sodium fluoride to the water supply of the people of Canberra, and coincidentally to the people of Queanbeyan. The major reasons that were given for that were that people have a right to receive fluoride. There were many arguments to do with rights, social justice and so on. If that is correct, obviously the same rights and the same social justice factors must apply in allowing people who do not want to be forcibly medicated with fluoride to drink the water without that particular chemical in it. That is a fairly obvious statement.
Let us look at the point of social justice, for a start. As we grow older, our kidney or renal function is impaired. That means that the excretion of certain things can be hampered. It has been scientifically shown that the excretion of fluoride can be hampered by impaired renal function. Obviously the aged people of Canberra are far more susceptible to this problem than children or others.
Last week I stood in this Assembly to speak to a report that as a member of the Social Policy Committee I had a hand in and we talked about looking after the needs of the
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