Page 6175 - Week 19 - Tuesday, 17 December 1991
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I should indicate that in an interjection on Thursday, I think, I misrepresented Mr Berry's position about this Bill. I accused him of having changed his mind about the payment of members of the board. On looking back over the Hansard of that day in December last year, I see that in fact Mr Berry did maintain consistently that there ought to be payment for members of the board. It was for some reason to do with, I think, the Residents Rally that the Government at that time changed its mind about proceeding with its original proposal to have payment to members of the board.
Mr Speaker, the Government presumably does intend to make those payments available. The Alliance Government had not made a decision about paying members of the board, but I assume that it is quite clear that the Government at this time does intend to make those payments. I have to say that in light of recent circumstances I am sure members of the board richly deserve payment as determined by the Remuneration Tribunal, or otherwise in accordance with these provisions. As such, I think it is appropriate for us to pass this into law. It does represent, I think, a step in making sure that the board members have acknowledgment of the very onerous role that they play in running a system as complex and as controversial as our health system.
MR MOORE (12.26): Mr Speaker, it was my amendment originally, or I think my speech against the particular provisions in the Bill, that motivated the exclusion that prevented members of the board being paid. That was motivated, Mr Speaker, by part of a policy on health that I wrote which talked about the establishment of the Board of Health as being a high priority and that membership of the board would be honorary. The board that I perceived at that time is quite different from the board established by the Alliance Government. I think it can be adequately demonstrated by the fact that the clerical support for the Board of Health will be supplied from within the ACT Health Authority. Quite clearly, a separate board was perceived, rather than the board and authority being one.
Considering the task that this board takes on, I think it is appropriate that they receive appropriate remuneration. Therefore, Mr Speaker, considering that there is a major difference, I believe that it is appropriate for me to support this amendment and to recognise, in this small way, the work that members of that board do and the contribution that they make to the community beyond what would be expected of an honorary board.
DR KINLOCH (12.28): First of all, the whole question of a Board of Health for the ACT needs to be looked at again, as I have indicated in the report of the Select Committee on Hospital Bed Numbers. However, setting that aside for the moment, because that would take a special inquiry, let us now come to the present board.
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