Page 3733 - Week 14 - Wednesday, 9 December 1992
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The next two pieces of legislation are interesting. Amendments to the Psychologists Registration Act and the Podiatrists Registration Act are there because the Minister - probably the Chief Minister - promised in May this year that all necessary State and Territory legislation to do with mutual recognition would be enacted by 31 October 1992 - not 1993, but 1992. These two pieces of legislation are required for the ACT to do its bit of mutual recognition. But no, we have not seen those yet. In fact, all Commonwealth legislation is to be completed by 1 January 1993, with proclamation by 1 March 1993. These two pieces of legislation have to be in place for the ACT to be able to do its part in the mutual recognition procedures. All of this will be proclaimed and go into action on 1 March 1993. The legislation is not even tabled and we have only one sitting in February. We will not be able to get those two pieces of legislation into law before 1 March, which does make what Ms Follett promised in May, at the heads of government meeting, seem rather difficult to achieve.
You cannot help but ask: Where is the new Mental Health Bill on the legislative program? We could ask where the therapeutic goods Bill is, and the consolidated drugs legislation - all things that have been discussed for years and years, and we could go on and on about that. It is important to make the comment that this year, not just this sitting, Mr Berry has introduced three pieces of health legislation. The abortion legislation never really hit. That did not actually get onto a legislative program.
Mr Connolly: Which way did you vote on that one, Kate?
MRS CARNELL: I did not say that I did not like the legislation; it was never on a legislative program. There was the Drugs of Dependence (Amendment) Bill - that is the methadone legislation - which was tabled after mine, and the Food Bill, which was introduced after the Alliance Government had done most of the work on it. I do not think that is a terribly good effort in health.
Mr Berry: That is wrong. What about the other Bills?
MRS CARNELL: Those are the only health - - -
Mr Berry: No; what about the other Bills?
MRS CARNELL: Which ones in health?
Mr Berry: What about the Occupational Health and Safety Bill?
MRS CARNELL: That is not in health. I believe that that is not a very good effort in health. There is lots of legislation that is essential to be brought in for the health of Canberrans and to make our health system work a little better than it does at the moment.
MR CONNOLLY (Attorney-General, Minister for Housing and Community Services and Minister for Urban Services) (3.59): Madam Speaker, I have to give it to the Liberal Party: They have a lot of gall. As the Prime Minister recently said, they have more front than Mark Foys. Last night they were all up here bleating away and saying, "We have too much work to do. We cannot possibly have looked at this adoption legislation. It is all too fast, fast, fast, fast, fast. It has to be delayed". Then this afternoon Mr Humphries gets up and says,
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