Page 3485 - Week 13 - Thursday, 26 November 1992
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The ACT Government has agreed to amendments to the agreement put forward by the Federal Government that improve the planning and accountability provisions and extend the means by which housing assistance is delivered to Australians. These amendments have been agreed by all State and Territory governments and reflect announcements made in the 1992-93 Federal budget. The amendments give effect to the introduction of a three-year planning cycle and the establishment of housing advisory committees in the States and Territories; the introduction of a new community housing program; and new cash management arrangements for the payment of Commonwealth grants to the States and Territories. The agreement is included as Schedule 1 to the Housing Assistance Act 1987. Madam Speaker, I present the explanatory memorandum for the Bill.
Debate (on motion by Mr Cornwell) adjourned.
PUBLIC HEALTH REGULATIONS
Motion for Disallowance
MRS CARNELL (10.36): I move:
That the Public Health (Infectious and Notifiable Diseases) Regulations (Amendment) No. 27 of 1992, made under the Public Health Act 1928, be disallowed.
This motion is to disallow amendment No. 27 of the Public Health (Infectious and Notifiable Diseases) Regulations. The amendment concerns notification of HIV, human immunodeficiency virus. The fact that the Government is seeking to make this amendment is a tacit acknowledgment that they have been breaking the law in the past. Is the Minister for Health now prepared to say that what he said on 12 August was not entirely correct? He emphatically said on the 12th that of course he had not been directing doctors to break the law. This was a highly misleading statement to make, because there was not a shadow of a doubt that voluntary coded notification did break the law at that time. Remember that even the latest annual report of the Board of Health has HIV down as voluntary notification. So, even as late as a couple of weeks ago, it would appear, this Government was breaking the law.
Mr Moore: That is what we are interested in.
MRS CARNELL: That is what we are interested in, yes. It is patently obvious to anyone looking at section 3 of the regulations that HIV, the organism which causes AIDS, must be notified in accordance with the form in Schedule 1, and that included full name and address before these new regulations came forward. If the Government was not breaking the law, why is it now changing the regulations to accommodate coded notification of HIV? If it was always all right, you would not have needed to change the regulations.
Mr Moore: If they were breaking the law, why don't you take them to court?
MRS CARNELL: The Minister's previous statements on this issue have been confusing, to say the least. They have been designed to allow the Minister not to commit himself to any particular position at all; but, then, that is fairly common. His answers have been designed to put the media off, to deflect them from
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