Page 5277 - Week 17 - Thursday, 13 December 1990
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management, and it should not be. It should be a statutory body which sets out to provide proper protection for the people of Canberra, and a statutory body that could act on complaints received, examine, investigate, call witnesses, do all of that. A legislative backing for such complaints would significantly add to that protection, and that is why we seek to include it in this Bill.
It has not worked properly in the past, but I think that the amendment which is being proposed by the ALP will go most of the way. It may not be perfect, but it certainly goes further than anything which has appeared so far in the legislation proposed by the Minister. In fact, all that has happened in the legislation proposed by the Minister has been continuous attempts by the Government to undermine any strengths that the legislation might have had to provide a better quality of services for the people of the ACT. If the Government is seriously concerned about the protection of the health interests of Canberra's residents, I am sure that it would have sought stronger proposals within its legislation.
Mr Speaker, it is about time that we got serious about a health services complaints council. This amendment, which has been proposed by the Australian Labor Party in opposition, is a serious piece of legislation which would provide a quality council appointed by the Minister. It would have the required amount of female representation, and it would be able to act properly to process complaints put before it. I think it is a worthwhile measure, and I look forward to some support from the Minister. It may be the one. This may be the lucky lottery ticket.
MR HUMPHRIES (Minister for Health, Education and the Arts) (9.18): Mr Speaker, let me ask Mr Berry this question: If I tell him which is the magic clause, will he stop calling these divisions on silly matters?
Mr Berry: There are no silly matters. If you want to have a discussion about the issues that might be - - -
MR SPEAKER: Order! Mr Humphries, please proceed.
MR HUMPHRIES: All right, Mr Speaker; I will have to keep Mr Berry in the dark. No, this is not the one. The Government will not - - -
Mr Berry: See, he was going to try to mislead me again.
MR HUMPHRIES: Yes, I was; I must admit that. Mr Speaker, the Government does not feel it can support this quite complex and long amendment. I must say that a three-page amendment detailing the creation of a whole new health services complaints council, with complex arrangements dealing with its membership, its powers, its capacity to deal with particular problems, the nature of its works, et cetera - all those things - gives me some concern in that we are expected to deal with that matter within about 24
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