Page 2723 - Week 10 - Tuesday, 13 August 1991
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MR BERRY (Minister for Health and Minister for Sport) (10.14), in reply: Mr Speaker, the first thing I want to touch on is in Mr Wood's opening comments in the report. In the second paragraph of the preface he says:
Our major difficulty has been to separate fact from fiction. Indeed I sometimes wondered if fluoridation was being made the scapegoat for every ill, real or imagined.
I was inadvertently involved in a test in this chamber when this debate was on many moons ago. I reported to the Assembly that it had been alleged that some prankster had interfered with the water supply of the Speaker. I have to say, Mr Speaker, that the moment that you thought that your water supply had been tampered with, one could see that there was a change in your behaviour. I observed that personally. I think that that sort of thing has been going on in relation to fluoride for far too long, and it makes this whole debate a bit silly.
One other issue we need to take up here is the credibility of, in particular, the Liberal Party. Some others we do not have to worry about too much because soon they are not going to be here. In respect of those others, though, it is very interesting that most of the people opposing the retention of fluoride in Canberra's water supply at the level recommended by the National Health and Medical Research Council will not be here after the next election. What is also interesting is the damage that is being done to the credibility of the Liberal Party. The Liberal Party members were elected to this place because of their commitment to uphold the policies developed by the party. It is seen as a party which develops its policies, and its elected members are expected to adhere to those policies. What will happen now is that our kids will be condemned to have rotten teeth by the rotten apples in the Liberal Party.
Mr Duby: Does the Labor Party have a policy on fluoride?
MR BERRY: My word it does; we have one here in this Bill. The Leader of the Opposition ought to send these two people outside, because they are not complying with the wishes of the elected members. Send them outside; send them upstairs into the sin-bin for a little while, while we get this sorted out. The rest of Canberra is being condemned by these two people who are not going to be back. They will not obey the rules, Trevor. A bit of discipline is required.
At the heart of this legislation is the Government's commitment to maintaining a high level of public health, especially for children. I think they are the ones that have been left out. The addition of fluoride to community drinking water has been a controversial issue since it was
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