Page 2642 - Week 09 - Wednesday, 25 August 1993
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pay taxes to support the public education system. People who belong to the anti-smoking lobby pay taxes which help to provide medical and hospital services for people with smoking induced illnesses. People in Canberra, as elsewhere in Australia, pay a Medicare levy. Part of this levy goes towards funding terminations through the Medicare rebate, amongst a whole range of other services.
The Family Planning Association, which for many years fought for the repeal of the Termination of Pregnancy Act, has, as a natural extension of their other services, given consideration to providing non-hospital based pregnancy terminations. Family planning is funded by the Commonwealth Government to provide a range of information, education, training, counselling, research and clinical activities aimed at improving the sexual health of Australians. Despite the best efforts of all concerned, unwanted pregnancies do occur, and women who bear the emotional and psychological cost of these pregnancies, on the whole to a much greater extent than men, should not have to bear the additional financial burden. I just did some rough calculations here. If about 1,500 women go interstate for this service and it costs them about $300 a throw, that - - -
Mrs Carnell: Why does it cost them that much?
MR BERRY: To stay overnight, for transport to Sydney and the provision - - -
Mr Humphries: Why stay overnight? It is a day procedure.
Mr De Domenico: It is a day procedure, you say.
Mrs Carnell: How many of them stay overnight?
Mr Connolly: So you jump in the car and drive straight back, you reckon.
Mr Humphries: You can, and people often do.
MR BERRY: I despair at the lack of knowledge that you people have about these matters. And what about the kids? You people disgust me. What about the student at one of our colleges who finds herself in a situation where she has to have a termination and is forced to go to Sydney, to borrow money from her mates, to get somebody to give her a lift to Sydney, to stay overnight and come back the next day?
Mr Humphries: But it is not $300.
MR BERRY: I do not know where you have been staying when you have been in Sydney. Get in your own car, pay for the petrol yourself and drive to Sydney and back. Work out how much that costs you. Then stay overnight and pay for the service while you are there. It adds up to about $300, in anybody's estimation. You end up with about $450,000 going out of the Territory each year.
Mr Humphries: Oh, it is a money raising thing, is it?
MR BERRY: No. I thought the Liberals would have some sympathy for that position. I thought I would calculate it for you just to try to draw a bit of sympathy from you because, when it comes to money, I know that you are most concerned about it.
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