Page 1450 - Week 05 - Thursday, 12 May 1994
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The creation of the ACT Government Service would effectively end that protection except in relation to the courts. The Commonwealth has been approached to extend the application of its Act beyond the date on which the service is established and to cover all agencies, with limited exceptions, on the basis that the continued application of the Commonwealth's privacy scheme will be only so long as the Assembly wishes. This will enable the Territory to give consideration to its needs in this area in the future.
Debate on this Bill is expected to occur after the presentation of the report of the select committee on the establishment of the separate ACT public service. The Bill is being introduced at this time in order to allow cognate debate with the Public Sector Management Bill, which the Government introduced in the last sittings, to occur. Mr Deputy Speaker, this Bill represents the final step towards the establishment of a unified, merit based and equitable public service, and I commend it to the Assembly. I present the explanatory memorandum.
Debate (on motion by Mr Kaine) adjourned.
POISONS AND DRUGS (AMENDMENT) BILL 1994
MR CONNOLLY (Attorney-General and Minister for Health) (10.41): Mr Deputy Speaker, I present the Poisons and Drugs (Amendment) Bill 1994.
Title read by Clerk.
MR CONNOLLY: I move:
That this Bill be agreed to in principle.
Mr Deputy Speaker, there are a number of prescription drugs on the market for which the National Health and Medical Research Council recommends additional controls. These controls are published in the standard for the uniform scheduling of drugs and poisons. Five of these drugs were listed as restricted substances in the Poisons and Drugs Act 1978 in November 1986 and the categories of specialist doctors eligible to be authorised by the Medical Officer of Health to prescribe these drugs were specified.
The purpose of the Bill is to enable the transfer from the Poisons and Drugs Act to the Poisons and Drugs Regulations of both the list of restricted substances and the list of specialist doctors eligible to be authorised by the Medical Officer of Health to prescribe or supply them. This will facilitate the keeping of lists up to date and in line with the recommendations of the National Health and Medical Research Council. This is because it is far easier administratively for changes to be made to the lists if they can be altered by regulation rather than through legislative amendment, and, of course, any regulation is disallowable and subject to the full control of this place. This is important because the National Health and Medical Research Council has, since 1986, recommended that
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