Page 995 - Week 04 - Wednesday, 28 March 1990
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medical negligence cases arising in this Territory directly related to our caesarean rate and the lack of options and other issues to do with the need to expand our options in the area of obstetrics. We need to look towards providing choice for a large sector of the community. We need to make sure that the choice provides equity of access and that it is accompanied by integrated responses from this Government. I can say that if 14 per cent of women in Victoria do not speak English in the birthing process, there may well be a good proportion in this Territory.
There are other issues to work on that our Government is committed to across its other programs, and I can assure you that Ms Maher has been looking at those issues. The Residents Rally was committed to securing a birthing centre in the ACT and I must say that Mr Moore, when he was a member of the Rally, put forward the case for a birthing centre. I think he did less justice to the members of the Rally opposite when he sought to score some political points and suggested that we had ratted on our policies.
I can say, as leader of the Residents Rally, that we have again achieved a Residents Rally policy aim, in collaboration with our colleagues here. We have achieved it on behalf of the community after studying carefully and sensibly all the factors involved.
The birthing society clearly indicates its preferred location, close to a hospital and, in fact, even for homebirths there are many arguments that homebirths should be within 10 minutes of, if I can use the simplistic word, help. There is a great range of issues; they were put forward at that recent seminar. The papers for that seminar together with a bibliography will be available today in the Assembly Library for other members who wish to research the topic. I commend Mr Humphries for the resolute manner in which he is moving forward on this issue. I commend my colleagues for keeping ideology out of all the many discussions we had before we faced this difficult round of decisions. For some to say that we are ratting and moving in an ideological direction is, once again, to suggest that self-government cannot do something for Canberra.
Mr Moore: On a point of order, Mr Speaker, under standing order 47, I wish to clarify something where I have been misquoted by Mr Collaery.
Mr Collaery: Clarify? Is he misrepresented?
MR SPEAKER: You claim to have been misrepresented?
Mr Moore: Yes, I claim to have been misquoted and misrepresented. Mr Collaery was saying that in my speech what I was doing was just picking pieces from anywhere and - - -
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