Page 4158 - Week 14 - Wednesday, 23 October 1991
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
Mr Humphries: I raise a point of order. Mr Speaker, you have ruled in the past that "gross hypocrisy" - and "hypocrisy" generally - is a phrase that is not parliamentary. I would ask you to ask Mr Berry to withdraw it.
MR SPEAKER: Yes, I would ask you to withdraw that, Mr Berry.
Mrs Grassby: You have ruled it in before.
MR SPEAKER: I will review the Hansard. I was speaking to the Clerk at the time. Mr Berry, would you just repeat what the exact words you said were? Can you tell me what you actually said?
MR BERRY: You have ruled "hypocrisy" in before, Mr Speaker.
MR SPEAKER: I will review the Hansard. Please proceed, Mr Berry.
MR BERRY: It is appalling that Mr Humphries chooses Mental Health Week to launch a campaign to undermine mental health services in the Territory. Labor, of course, as we all know - Mr Humphries knows; all of the members here know - has had a longstanding commitment to provide better mental health services and we will not stand by and allow this unscrupulous attack on the mentally ill. What Labor has always been about, as Mr Humphries will vividly recall, is the provision of better services to the mentally ill.
We know that when Mr Humphries took over government from Labor there was a budget allocation for the provision of services to the mentally ill which was never spent because Mr Humphries said that it was not enough. That was a bit of a joke. Later on Mr Humphries folded in front of pressure to provide a 24-hour crisis service. Mr Humphries has to be congratulated on that. That was a good move, and it was welcomed.
There has always been a question in the ACT about the level of funding for mental health services. That will confront various governments, as it will confront this one from time to time, and we will rise to the challenge. But I will not stand by and cop campaigns, cheap campaigns, which undermine confidence in the provision of mental health services in the Territory. This campaign was completely unnecessary. A service is being provided in the ACT to the mentally ill. It is a new service. It is necessary that the service quality and quantity be reviewed from time to time. That was recognised by the former Minister and a review was commenced.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .