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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 3 Hansard (8 April) . . Page.. 685 ..
MRS CARNELL (continuing):
the case with all of my Ministers. Our chief executives are regularly at our sides. We believe very strongly that the way to a strong Public Service, the way to a strong government, is to have very close links with the Public Service. That is the way we operate. All of the Ministers operate that way, and we will continue to operate that way because it is simply better management. We do not perceive that there is a difference, an us and them attitude, between the Government and the public sector in Canberra. We are all on the same team and we will all continue to be on the same team.
MS TUCKER: My question is to Mrs Carnell as Minister for Health. I understand the Government is proposing to introduce user pays into the school dental services through the child and youth dental membership scheme, which will require all parents other than holders of social security cards to pay up-front fees for dental care, including the regular initial checkups, which usually are recognised to be critical in preventing dental neglect and cost effective because the cost of treatment is obviously greater for advanced dental problems than for less advanced problems.
Mr Berry: This happened six months ago.
MS TUCKER: Public consultation for this proposal was held over school holidays - obviously, not a good time for parents - and only 18 submissions were received, mostly from professionals. Did the consultation process include use of school newsletters or other informal channels? Does the Minister believe that this consultation period over school holidays was appropriate?
MRS CARNELL: It might be surprising, but I am very happy to say that Mr Berry is right on this situation. Mr Berry just made the point that this did happen quite a while ago. Poor old Ms Tucker is a tiny bit slow off the mark on this one. Mr Berry is right. Ms Tucker is slow off the mark. A discussion paper called "New Approaches in the ACT Dental Program" was released for public consultation by ACT Community Care early in January 1997. The document was distributed widely through the community and among key interest groups. In fact, it was mailed out directly to them. ACT Community Care even sponsored two very well advertised meetings in February, not in school holidays - - -
Ms Tucker: How many people attended?
MRS CARNELL: That is the interesting question. How many people turned up to these well-advertised public meetings? For one of them, nobody.
Ms McRae: It is your fault, Mrs Carnell!
MRS CARNELL: It is my fault! We advertised them. We said, "Please come to this public meeting. We will have all of our people there. You can ask any questions you like. Please come". Nobody did. That is obviously the Government's fault! We obviously did not get the consultation right! We then had a second public meeting, again well
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