Page 4036 - Week 13 - Thursday, 10 November 1994
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person who performs a skin penetration procedure. The Bill would require all businesses, apart from those operated by the Government, to be licensed. This will provide information concerning the locality of such businesses and will, therefore, enable authorised officers to make inspections of fixtures and equipment and to ensure that procedures are undertaken in such a way that risk of contamination is minimised. The public can, therefore, be assured that each business's equipment and practices are being audited.
Because many skin penetration procedures are performed by autonomous practitioners, the proposed legislation will require the licensing of operators not already regulated by a health professions registration Act. Therefore, all tattooists, beauty therapists and acupuncturists who practise in this Territory would require a licence. The licensing of businesses and operators would allow the Minister to either suspend or cancel a licence when a premises or person's practice fails to meet the requirements of the Act or the codes of practice.
In order to protect the rights of persons involved in the performance of skin penetration procedures, proprietors and operators would have the right of appeal to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal when they are dissatisfied with a decision of the Minister or an authorised officer. The proposed legislation will include provisions for the making of regulations which may further strengthen the administrative procedures relevant to this legislation. While this Bill has been in preparation, departmental officers have been liaising with a wide range of both medical and non-medical practitioners about strategies which will minimise the risk of contamination from blood-borne infections. There is a high degree of cooperation in the community.
Madam Speaker, I commend this Bill to the Assembly as a practical, timely and vital strategy for dealing with an important and potentially life-threatening issue. I present the explanatory memorandum to the Bill.
Debate (on motion by Mrs Carnell) adjourned.
COMMUNITY INITIATED REFERENDUMS - SELECT COMMITTEE
Report
MR MOORE (11.43): Madam Speaker, I present the report of the Select Committee on Community Initiated Referendums, together with extracts of the minutes of proceedings, and I move:
That the report be noted.
Before I start my speech on the report, I want to mention a very unusual thing that happened quite late last night. A submission was presented to the committee then. The committee has not had the opportunity to meet since then. It was from Professor Arthur Burns. It would be appropriate that the public have the opportunity to read this submission. Therefore, I seek leave to have it incorporated in the papers of the committee and authorised for publication.
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