Page 5255 - Week 17 - Thursday, 13 December 1990
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I intend to comply with that spirit by removing clauses 41 to 43 from this Bill. I believe that at the end of the day the Bill will be stronger because quality assurance of the kind that the hospital system needs will have been achieved through cooperation and discussion with the medical profession rather than through compelling them and their members to comply with particular provisions, forcing participation in those quality assurance programs. I think, Mr Speaker, that if Mr Berry was serious about the comments made before on closed shops and compellability, and so on and so forth, he will accept that it is not appropriate to compel people to take part in these programs. It seems to me that to be consistent he ought to do that.
Sitting suspended from 5.55 to 8.00 pm
MR BERRY (8.00): Mr Speaker - - -
Members interjected.
MR BERRY: Of course, speed is not important. It is the quality, not the quantity of the debate; is that right? It is very interesting, Mr Speaker, that members opposite come back from their dinner break full of frivolity; but that will soon disappear when they come to grips with the gravity of the situation that is in front of them, because this is a very serious matter. What the Minister has sought to do in relation to clauses 41, 42 and 43 - - -
Mr Humphries: Yes, he has wrecked the system; destroyed public health; devastated the system.
MR BERRY: Indeed, he says himself, "Destroy the public hospitals". This Minister seeks to withdraw the requirement that the board would have had, had the Minister proceeded with the original provisions of his Bill. What the Minister now proposes is to withdraw the requirement that health services consultants and members of staff should participate in reasonable quality assurance activities. In the same way, it withdraws the right of the board to direct members of staff and health services consultants to maintain clinical records that are timely and complete and that conform with the medical record service standards as published from time to time by the Australian Council on Healthcare Standards, and not to remove those records from the relevant health facility. That health facility, of course, would be one that is administered by the Board of Health.
The Minister has also chosen to withdraw the penalties that go with a failure to comply with the directions in respect of those matters referred to in clauses 41 and 42. Clause 43 talks about the requirement for a consultant to show cause in writing, if there is a failure, why the board should not "vary the terms and conditions of, suspend for such period as is specified in the notice, or terminate the
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