Page 384 - Week 02 - Tuesday, 23 February 1993
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What is needed therefore is an identification of particular Bills which need to be dealt with more quickly than others. The Health Bill 1993 and the Health (Consequential Provisions) Bill 1993 are two such Bills. The impending resignations of Mr Service and Ms Freeman have been known for some months and the Minister has indicated that he would prefer the Department of Health to be directly accountable to himself as Minister. The impending resignations take effect from 1 March. It is therefore not unreasonable that we are debating these Bills before 1 March. This situation should not be a normal one. I wish to recommend that in its review of the standing orders the Standing Committee on Administration and Procedures consider the question of Bills which need to be dealt with more quickly than others or, in other words, Bills which are introduced in the first week of sittings and debated in the second, and report on its findings in due course to this Assembly for consideration and debate.
MR LAMONT (8.09): The introduction of the Health Bill 1993 and the move by ACT Health to being a department have come about as a direct result of the difficulties that the ACT Board of Health has experienced in carrying out its appointed management tasks because of constant interference by the Opposition in the business of running ACT Health. It is appropriate this evening that they have thrown a wobbly and walked out, for indeed that has been the attitude which they have displayed to the operations of this board over a considerable period of time.
Madam Speaker, in his letter of resignation the chairman of the board publicly stated:
It simply becomes impossible for the Board to discharge its statutory responsibilities if its management and the Board itself are continually engaged in defending, in the political arena, every management action taken or contemplated.
At the same time, he noted that the board:
was established by legislation introduced by the Alliance Government ... with one exception all the present Board members were appointed by that Government.
The chairman went on to say that he found it:
very sad that the Assembly group which promoted and legislated -
for the concept of a board -
have now chosen a path which will make their scheme unworkable.
If that was said about me, I, like the Opposition this evening, would lower my head in shame. In fact, when this matter was being debated, had I been responsible for such action, I, too, may have considered withdrawing from this chamber. I think it is highly appropriate that they have done so and that in shame they have taken the coward's way out.
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