Page 1050 - Week 04 - Thursday, 1 April 1993
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technology as being a goal for the 2020 vision. We have that technology, and are using it in many instances. This is more of a short-term goal that is actually being driven by economic imperatives as much as by the need to speed up the justice system. That point aside, this paper also fulfils the need to raise issues and talk generally about future development.
There are five papers I have not yet mentioned and I regret that I will not be able, in this forum, to fully explain my concern about their contents. "Housing" sets out quite clearly its goals and has a clear outline of how it approaches the vision. However, it fails to explain some of its assertions. It makes the point that, on current household demographic trends, a greater number of households in the future will be headed by single, older women. While an interesting demographic fact to some, I do not see the relevance of the sex of the head of the household, unless, of course, it is to shore up the later section on gender issues in housing which seems to equate being a female sole parent with the needs of all women with children of young school age. Older women need to be consulted about what they want in housing choice, not to be told that their life still revolves around the shops, schools and work. There are, and will be, other lifestyle choices that they want to have available to them.
The "Education and Training" paper does not attempt to look at the current system in any meaningful way, but seems to accept that it lives up to its stated objectives and the community's expectations. However, it does raise issues. I feel that one of the major issues which will arise from this paper is the mission statements that it uses as its basis.
The "Health" paper causes me great concern as it commences its task by prescribing what its writer sees as the imperatives for the year 2020. It is also of great concern that its key trends and issues, the section that follows immediately on from the statement that "individuals should become even more health aware than now", begins with a discussion which includes artificial organs, expert systems, gene splicing, orthopaedic prosthetic customisation, robotic surgery and soft tissue implants. These technologies will become more common in the future, but I see no discussion of how preventative measures will be redefined, or how self-monitoring, early detection and new techniques will remove the need for some of these procedures. There is also no discussion of how a population, even of 540,000, will support the development and adoption of these procedures. Madam Speaker, I feel that this paper does perform the function of generating debate; however, I feel that the vision expressed could be clearer.
I reserve my remaining comments for the "Urban Form" and "Environmental Quality and Cultural Development" papers. These I will regard as the same, as they obviously have the same authors who have a fixation with dot points and motherhood statements. For example, I will describe the paper's definition of the quality of life:
In this paper, quality of life is viewed as a concept that encompasses individuals, community and the environment. It arises from an integrated view of health and well being as a major community resource for social, economic and personal development. This includes consideration of people's physical, mental, social and spiritual dimensions, including the importance of self esteem, a sense of place, a sense of belonging, and a sense of ownership and control.
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