Page 3022 - Week 10 - Tuesday, 14 September 1993
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
From time to time, in a supreme effort, the Opposition will put on the notice paper a resolution saying, "Implement Balancing Rights". It is very easy to say that, but with no substantive evidence. What we have done, as you will find when you do the work and go through this process, is that we have implemented Balancing Rights.
Mrs Carnell: No, you have not.
MR CONNOLLY: When there was the first whiff of grapeshot from a community group, who put out a silly press release saying that this was Stalinist legislation, Mrs Carnell - "Implement Balancing Rights; implement Balancing Rights" - then said, "This legislation is fundamentally flawed and needs to be scrapped". Mrs Carnell, you are really making yourself look silly to a constituency that knows what it is talking about in this area. This is cheap partisanship at its worst.
Madam Speaker, the matter is to be looked at by a committee. That is a positive process. We look forward to that, and we look forward to members opposite taking on their role on that committee with a degree of open-mindedness, rather than locking themselves into a silly position that the Bill is fundamentally flawed and needs to be scrapped. Mrs Carnell, the more you lock yourself into that position, the more difficult your climb down will be.
MR BERRY (Minister for Health, Minister for Industrial Relations and Minister for Sport) (4.28), in reply: What we have seen this afternoon is the very reason why this consultation process had to be extended. The vultures were hovering about in relation to this legislation. I have said that it is sensitive. I agree with my colleague Mr Connolly that the press releases that were put out in the community were hysterical and were damaging to the approach that had to be taken to improve our mental health legislation. As soon as that hysteria had been whipped up, I expected - and I was right, it seems - that people would leap on the old band wagon. I loved your budgie description for Mrs Carnell: "Implement the Balancing Rights report; implement the Balancing Rights report". It just goes on and on.
We have the draft legislation on the table. I heard your closed minds at work. You have already decided what the outcome will be.
Mr Humphries: So have your people. They are going to defend the Government's position.
MR BERRY: No. We have put draft legislation on the table for consultation. We care about the services that are provided to people with mental illness. Why, then, do you people try to undermine this? Because you are in it for a political point and you do not care about the community. The Liberal Party are wreckers.
We will continue to pursue the consultation process. For you people to get up here and start complaining about that draft legislation, not having attempted to make one contribution to the debate or have it altered in any respect - - -
Mr Humphries: Who tabled Balancing Rights in the first place, Wayne?
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .