Page 3808 - Week 14 - Thursday, 10 December 1992
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MR BERRY: Thank you, Mr Stevenson, for the question. The Independent Health Complaints Unit was promised by Labor in the election campaign and it is a promise that we are in the process of delivering. It will be an Independent Health Complaints Unit. It will answer directly to me. It will not be within the Department of Health and it will employ an independent person to deal with health complaints in a conciliatory environment. As far as this Government is concerned, it is most important to have the support of all of the people who might be interested in the activities of that Health Complaints Unit - the medical professionals, the nurses, and a full range of professionals in both the public sector and the private sector as well as complainants. The aim is to try to sort out differences on health matters between the parties in the first place, with that strong emphasis on conciliation rather than retribution. It will be an Independent Health Complaints Unit.
MR STEVENSON: I have a brief supplementary question. I thank the Minister for the answer. I deliberately chose to ask the Chief Minister initially and I had given the reason for that. Mr Berry, you said that it is going to be an independent body. If you administer the department and if they are only accountable to you, might it not be seen to be more accountable if it were in another department, perhaps the Attorney-General's?
MR BERRY: It is a Health Complaints Unit and it is most appropriately placed within the borders of responsibilities assigned to the Health Minister. Its complaints will be reported to me in one way or another, by way of annual reports and so on. I would expect that, if it came to the crunch and something needed to be done in response to a complaint, it would be a matter which the Health Minister would deal with. I should have mentioned in my initial response to your question that there has been a public meeting and an involvement in the development process by people who are interested - doctors and so on. I trust that we will be able to bring back to the Assembly something which sets out the entire framework arising from that consultation some time early in the new year. It is a body which is new for the ACT. I think it is fundamental as far as the delivery of health services is concerned. It is something that the Federal Government has committed itself to and is therefore in line with the general thrust of empowerment of people who use health care systems across Australia. To that degree, it is part of a move across the country, not only in the ACT, towards empowerment of consumers.
Soccer Match
MRS GRASSBY: My question is directed to the Deputy Chief Minister in his capacity as the Minister for Sport. Unfortunately, due to a very successful Christmas party of the Belconnen branch, I was not able to be at Bruce Stadium last night. Could the Minister report on the Young Socceroos v. Brazil match held there last night? I would like to have been there.
MR BERRY: Thank you for the question.
Mr Kaine: How much do you know about soccer, Minister?
MR BERRY: A lot more after last night. Madam Speaker, the Young Socceroos v. Brazil match was an outstanding success, with, according to the early counts, over 8,000 people attending. This is the largest soccer crowd at
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