Page 6083 - Week 18 - Thursday, 12 December 1991
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same Minister on the question of funding respite care for the ACT Society for the Physically Handicapped, and I hope that he is prepared to take a similar case to the Federal Minister in this regard as well.
Broadly speaking, the Opposition can support this Bill. It provides for the framework under which the ACT will be able to deal with such funding questions in its own right in the future. It is a positive step. I welcome it and indicate my support for it.
MR COLLAERY (6.04): Mr Speaker, I join with hopefully all members of this Assembly in commending this legislation before us today. In introducing the Bill the Minister, Mr Connolly, reminded members of the historic background of this federalist Commonwealth-State disability move. The Minister reminded us that the International Year of the Disabled, as we called it in those days, in 1981, generated a deal of community consciousness on these issues. The Minister further reminded us of the Commonwealth Disability Services Act 1986, which was a benchmark or a landmark piece of legislation, as he called it.
Members are well aware of the increased consciousness of our people in this country, our nation, in respect of human rights issues, particularly the rights of those with intellectual and physical disabilities, and the rights of those who acquire disabilities through the rapidly ageing nature of our population, which, of course, reflects the capacity of our medical and surgical skills to offer increased longevity in a decent and reasonable lifestyle for many in our community.
Whilst the contradictions of this, at times, throw increasing focus on issues such as euthanasia, they really are not the central issues before us today. What is before us is essentially the will of the bureaucracies in the Federal, State and Territory systems to bring about a better administration of all manner of services in the disability services area. After all, we should recognise that the landmark document signed by the Chief Minister at the July Premiers Conference that was the precursor, really, to this legislation, the Commonwealth-State disability agreement, stems from a high degree of conscientious work by our public service advisers.
Whilst we often say, somewhat bitterly at times, that the civil service survives the vicissitudes of political office, here is one outcome of a dedicated band of people. At this stage I want to say, not only as a former Minister but as a member of the ACT community, that we owe a considerable debt of gratitude to the ACT public servants who have worked on this matter. They have been led in no small measure by Helen Briggs, who is present in the chamber today, I am pleased to say. I would like to put on record that the community owes a debt to public servants who often work beyond the call and the hours of assigned duty.
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