Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .

Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 1 Hansard (20 February) . . Page.. 194 ..

MR BERRY (continuing):

Diseases like smallpox were cleaned up as a result of vaccination programs. I think it has disappeared off the face of the earth. There might have been some risk as a result of those vaccination programs; but look at the end result. There was white throat, or diphtheria. It was always referred to, in folklore anyway, as white throat. If you played in the drains you might end up with white throat and you would die. We do not hear about that as a common illness now; but it was common, certainly before the Second World War. It was something to be fearful of, because it was a dreadful disease. Lockjaw was another one that was in the folklore, and it was a feared disease. All of those things were commonplace prior to the 1950s, and it is only vaccination programs that have taken the horror of those diseases from the community. The trouble is that people are starting to forget the horror of those diseases, and that is a real problem out there in the community.

I agree that there is a very slight risk factor in vaccination programs; but I have no doubt at all that, on balance, they are services to which the community ought to be given access. I would urge the committee to closely consider ways of making vaccination more accessible and cost free. Mrs Carnell referred to one example. We provide free vaccine to GPs to ensure that they provide us with information. I think that was done in my time as Health Minister. At that time, I must say, I was urging my officials to implement - - -

MR SPEAKER: Order! It being 45 minutes after the commencement of Assembly business, the debate is interrupted in accordance with standing order 77.

Motion (by Mr Humphries) agreed to:

That the time allotted to Assembly business be extended by 30 minutes.

MR BERRY: Mr Speaker, I remember, at the time, urging that we take it one step further and also require that GPs who get the free vaccine bulk-bill. I think that is one thing that could be considered, because it would improve access for people who might be steered away from vaccination on the basis of cost. I think, in these times, we have to look at all aspects of the provision of these services. We have to make them as accessible as possible. I think the committee ought to be directing itself very firmly to look at those issues.

I will go back to something I said earlier. I would hope that the committee would take all steps necessary to ensure that that very small percentage of people who are strenuously opposed to vaccination do not whip up a whole heap of hysteria about this issue, because at the end of the day that hysteria will damage the vaccination levels that we have now, and what we want to do is move forward, not backwards.

MR HUMPHRIES (Attorney-General) (11.22): Mr Speaker, I would like to express a view about this inquiry. I certainly support the motion. Just to make it clear that not all members of the Government are Kate Carnell clones, I must say that my first inclination was to consider strongly whether there ought not to be an element of compulsion in the way in which vaccinations for childhood diseases are administered. There are, of course, arguments about civil liberties; but there are also arguments about such things in respect of other matters in which society imposes obligations on people.

Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .