Page 3470 - Week 12 - Wednesday, 18 September 1991
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I, together with my ministerial colleagues from the Commonwealth and States, issued a communique that noted that the most significant benefits would occur with the inclusion of the medical benefits schedule and the pharmaceutical benefits schedule in the pool. However, this should proceed only in the context of broader measures to change the balance of Commonwealth and State revenue raising capacities, or by developing other mechanisms for the Commonwealth, States and Territories to share the risks and responsibilities on a secure long-term basis. Ministers agreed that the administration of medical benefits and pharmaceutical benefits should continue to be a Commonwealth responsibility, as would at this stage nursing home residential care payments.
The various reports are, of course, preliminary to the development of recommendations to the Special Premiers Conference in November. The next step for the ACT is to outline these issues and our position to enable consultation with the community for input to discussions at the November conference. Copies of the various reports will be made available through my department.
MR TEMPORARY DEPUTY SPEAKER (Mr Jensen): Mr Berry, are you proposing a motion?
MR BERRY: If somebody wants to move that way - - -
MR TEMPORARY DEPUTY SPEAKER: Mr Berry, are you moving that the Assembly takes note of the paper or not?
MR BERRY: I am prepared to. I present the following paper:
Health and Social Welfare Ministers - Meeting - Ministerial statement, 18 September 1991.
I move:
That the Assembly takes note of the paper.
MR COLLAERY (3.29): Mr Temporary Deputy Speaker, this is a significant and welcome statement. On a more frivolous note, we did not get a report on Mr Berry's trip to the racing Ministers conference; but we all accept the fact that this is a far more vital and important issue, important though racing is.
The key words in this document appear where child-care is mentioned. It says that the ACT has adopted a preliminary position, which is to support the "broadbanding of child-care programs". Mr Berry went on to indicate that States should be enabled to have "clearer responsibilities for service delivery". The word "clearer" is highly significant. It does not commit the ACT, in its preliminary view, to tied grants.
I want to go further and indicate the somewhat ambiguous nature of the wording of this statement. Mr Berry says further on in his statement:
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