Page 4564 - Week 15 - Tuesday, 14 December 1993
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
Mr Deputy Speaker, over the last two weeks I have seriously considered whether or not I would move at this stage to refer the Health Complaints Bill to the Social Policy Committee of the Assembly. I have decided against so doing at this time, however, because I noted the in-principle support given by those individuals and groups to the draft exposure legislation. However, I firmly believe that an Assembly committee process would have been an effective method of resolving many issues of policy and detail prior to the passage of the final legislation.
MR MOORE (8.21): Mr Deputy Speaker, the Health Complaints Bill has been long awaited by the community. It is appropriate that credit be given where it is due, and credit goes to the Minister for getting this Bill before us and for carrying out a promise that he made at the last election. It seems to me that this legislation will give people in Canberra an opportunity to do something about a series of frustrations that have been part and parcel of the lives of some people who have had to deal with health issues in Canberra. Most members here, if not all members, would have had people come to them seeking solutions. Often those solutions were not attainable by our normal methods of lobbying and trying to resolve issues for constituents.
The Health Complaints Bill, when it becomes an Act, will provide methods by which people can have complaints resolved, and it will be a positive contribution to community health. I use that term "community health" in the broad concept because the empowerment of individuals and the empowerment of people is basic to a concept of a healthy community. This Bill goes a long way towards that and is a credit to the Minister. I think it will be a credit to the Assembly when it is passed. No doubt, in a project like this, there will be some issues that will need to be revisited. I would expect that this Bill, when it becomes an Act, will need to be amended from time to time over the next couple of years as new problems arise and as we seek to resolve the sorts of issues that have been dealt with by members in other ways over the last couple of years.
Mr Deputy Speaker, I foreshadow that I will be moving some amendments to the Bill. They have been circulated to members, I understand. They are similar to amendments I have moved to previous Bills and mean that appointments to positions under this legislation will be subject to disallowance. I think it is fair to say that this approach has not caused any great heartache to Ministers or to this Assembly. That power has been dealt with very reasonably. By and large, the appointment of people to positions has been open and has been discussed, when the appointment has been handled as a disallowable instrument. I think that it would be sensible for the Government to accept this in good grace and realise that this is an appropriate way to go, so that decisions that are made in terms of appointments are made with the approval of the Assembly as a whole.
MR BERRY (Minister for Health, Minister for Industrial Relations and Minister for Sport) (8.25), in reply: I should, first of all, address the amendments which Mr Moore is about to propose, or has proposed.
MR DEPUTY SPEAKER: Mr Moore has not proposed anything at the moment. We are still on the in-principle debate, Mr Minister.
MR BERRY: Yes, he has. They are around. I have seen them. I think they have been lodged, have they not? I accept his warm congratulations on the matter.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .