Page 1060 - Week 04 - Thursday, 29 March 1990
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As he has demonstrated in question time, he has not made representations. There is no question of continuation; he has not done it yet. I believe he tried to create the impression that he was doing that, but he is not.
On another issue which he also addressed in the blueprint, he went on to say that he had introduced legislation to allow enduring powers of attorney. Mr Speaker, as the record shows I introduced the Powers of Attorney (Amendment) Bill on 28 September 1989. It was passed by this Assembly on 17 October 1989, long before Mr Kaine became Chief Minister. So that is, I believe, an inaccuracy in the Government's response to Mr Wood's report.
To conclude quickly, we welcome the fact that the Alliance has accepted many of the committee's recommendations. I believe there is scope for it to go further, particularly on those five recommendations which have not been endorsed and particularly on the issues that I have raised in addressing the Assembly today. We will be actively monitoring the Government's performance and taking appropriate action on its sins of omission every time we believe they have occurred.
MR HUMPHRIES (Minister for Health, Education and the Arts) (10.49): Mr Speaker, I will address the bulk of my remarks to those recommendations of the report which fall within the health portfolio. I note that of the 60 recommendations in the report of the Social Policy Committee approximately half do fall within the health portfolio. It is therefore appropriate that some time be spent concentrating on that aspect.
I was a little puzzled by Ms Follett's reference to bipartisan support for the committee's inquiry in the first place. I do not have a distinct recollection of this but I do seem to recall some resistance on the part of the former Government to the establishment of this inquiry in the first place.
Mr Wood: No, no, there was not.
MR HUMPHRIES: Perhaps one of the speakers on their side of the chamber might elucidate that for me when they come to speak later on. I certainly seem to recall some Labor resistance to this idea in the first place. Perhaps the form was not appropriate to Labor. I do recall Mr Kaine making reference to that when he, as Leader of the Opposition, moved for this inquiry to be referred to the Social Policy Committee.
Mr Speaker, I am quite excited by the report and I am also quite chuffed that the Government has been able to address so many of the concerns expressed in that report in its response which was tabled the other day by Mr Kaine. I am chuffed because usually with a report of this kind where so many things come out and so many issues are raised and, in
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