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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 9 Hansard (28 August) . . Page.. 2718 ..

MRS CARNELL (continuing):

with the Commonwealth on a proposal developed by the Department of Health and Community Care and the ACT Division of General Practice, which will design and test a GP-based coordinated care model. The coordinated care trials were recently reviewed in order to ensure that GPs - the primary point of health care contact for most Australians - are fully involved in the planning and implementation of the coordinated care proposals. Specific guidelines were developed to ensure that this occurs.

Also aimed at increasing flexibility and reducing administrative duplication in the different levels of government was the decision to consolidate smaller health special purpose payments, SPPs. Broadbanding the special purpose payments will be an interim arrangement, and these arrangements will be incorporated into the next Medicare agreement. Officials will prepare recommendations on the special purpose payment to be included and the principles to apply within the broadbanding. (Quorum formed) This will be considered by the council in October and then reported to COAG.

The United Nations General Assembly has decided to observe 1999 as the International Year of Older Persons. The theme is "Towards a society for all ages", and the principles to be promoted will be independence, participation, care, self-fulfilment and dignity. The ACT will be participating in the development of a national approach to the celebration of the International Year of Older Persons in 1999. A working party will be established to develop a coordinated approach and prepare recommendations on how Australia might contribute to the development of aged care and the promotion of healthy ageing in neighbouring developing nations. It will be responsible for developing an Australian vision on future ageing for announcement in this year.

Another matter of particular importance to the ACT is the proposed national legislation, the Mental Impairment and Unfitness to be Tried (Criminal Procedure) Bill 1995. The Standing Committee of Attorneys-General referred this Bill to the Health and Community Services Council for its consideration. The council was asked to endorse the principle that provisions should be contained in the criminal code, rather than in more general legislation, and that provisions contained in the mental health legislation should be, as far as possible, consistent with the provisions of the model Bill. Along with other jurisdictions, the ACT had some concerns regarding the Bill.

The particular issue for the ACT relates to the fact that we have only recently undertaken a major review of our mental health legislation, and the Mental Health (Treatment and Care) Act 1994 commenced operation only in 1995. We are satisfied that the model Bill and the new ACT legislation share similar aims and are based on similar principles. Whether the approach in the model Bill is preferable is a question which needs to be answered by reference to local circumstances, and we believe that the departures from the details of the model Bill are not so significant as to warrant reconsideration at this time. The council decided that the secretariat should write to the Standing Committee of Attorneys-General expressing the concerns raised by the various jurisdictions.

Other mental health issues were discussed at the Health Ministers Conference. Progress towards the development of nationally consistent mental health legislation under the national mental health strategy was noted, and Ministers agreed to the principles for resolution of cross-border anomalies in this area between States and Territories.

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