Page 2542 - Week 09 - Wednesday, 7 August 1991
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ELECTRICITY AND WATER (AMENDMENT) BILL 1991
MR BERRY (Minister for Health and Minister for Sport) (3.49): Mr Speaker, I present the Electricity and Water (Amendment) Bill 1991. I move:
That this Bill be agreed to in principle.
This Bill amends Part VIIIA of the Electricity and Water Act 1989, referred to in the amending Bill as the principal Act, so that fluoride can be returned to Canberra's water supply on a permanent basis. The Bill also will remove the requirement to have the addition of fluoride to the water supply approved by referendum. These provisions were introduced with the passage of a private members' Bill in September 1989.
I will also be introducing today a second Bill to repeal a series of Acts that provided for the suspension of the operation of Part VIIIA of the Electricity and Water Act and extensions of the time limit by which the suspension would terminate. The Acts are the Water Supply (Chemical Treatment) Act 1989, the Water Supply (Chemical Treatment) (Amendment) Act 1990 and the Water Supply (Chemical Treatment) (Amendment) Act 1991. These Acts allowed fluoride to be returned to the water supply on a temporary basis pending receipt of reports from the Standing Committee on Social Policy and the National Health and Medical Research Council.
Earlier I referred to the parent Electricity and Water Supply Act being amended as the result of presentation of a private members' Bill in 1989, which effectively removed fluoride from Canberra's, and Queanbeyan's, reticulated water supply. As a consequence, a great deal of community debate resulted, and the Government received many representations from health professionals to have fluoride returned to the water supply. Three weeks later, in October 1989, the Water Supply (Chemical Treatment) Act 1989 was enacted to suspend implementation of the first Act, with the Assembly referring the matter of fluoride to the Standing Committee on Social Policy for further investigation.
This Act was amended in 1990 and 1991, extending the period for retention of fluoride in the water supply until 31 August 1991. This was to allow receipt of the report on fluoride from the National Health and Medical Research Council so that it also could be considered by the standing committee and the public. The committee presented its report to the Legislative Assembly in February this year. The Government appreciates the contribution made by all sections of the community on this issue.
The interim report of the expert working group, formed to report to the National Health and Medical Research Council on the question of fluoride, was made to the National Health and Medical Research Council in late 1990, followed by a final report in June 1991.
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