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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 3 Hansard (8 April) . . Page.. 687 ..

MS TUCKER: I asked a question about consultation. Mrs Carnell apparently is saying she thought it was great. She had one public meeting that no-one turned up to, so she called another one that two people attended. My question was: Did she consult schools? Did Mrs Carnell bother to look at other networks? Did Mrs Carnell look at other ways of consulting? Indeed, she is right. This consultation has been a farce.

My supplementary question, though, is that Mrs Carnell has claimed that this is actually going to be in the interests of everybody. I would like her to table, if there is such a thing, the cost-benefit analysis which shows that it is indeed good to charge up-front fees for preventative regular checkups rather than charge for subsequent work. There is a sense in the industry that it costs a lot more to deal with the problems that result when you do not do those first checkups.

MR SPEAKER: Is this a question or a statement?

MS TUCKER: My question is: Could the Minister tell the Assembly the rationale for charging for the first checkup and not later treatment, if they must introduce user pays, and could she please table for this place that cost-benefit analysis, which I am sure a government so interested in looking at the economics of issues would have done?

MRS CARNELL: I wonder whether Ms Tucker put in a submission. Oh, dear, the answer is: No, she did not put in a submission. I wonder why.

Ms Tucker: Mr Speaker, can I take a point of order?

MRS CARNELL: That is not the issue here and it is not the subject of the question. I certainly will get onto the question now.

Ms Tucker: I let Mrs Carnell answer the first question as she saw fit, because that is how you normally rule; but I have to say I am getting very tired of the fact that Mrs Carnell cannot answer a serious question without these irrelevant - - -

MR SPEAKER: She is about to.

MRS CARNELL: I believe that the community consultation approach was very adequate. In fact, as I said, we accessed community groups. We sent the documents to all of those people we thought would be interested. We advertised in newspapers. We made sure that information was available at the clinics - the cluster clinics and our dental clinics generally.

Ms Tucker: That was not my question. Did you go to the schools?

MRS CARNELL: The cluster clinics are where the school kids go, Ms Tucker. I think the consultation - the period and the approach - was very well done.

Ms Tucker: You said that. Answer the supplementary question.

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