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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 10 Hansard (23 September) . . Page.. 3147 ..

Mrs Carnell: Mr Speaker, on a point of order: This has absolutely nothing to do with the statement that I made.

MR SPEAKER: I uphold the point of order on relevance, Mr Berry.

MR BERRY: Mr Speaker, this is about the things this Minister has not done.

Mrs Carnell: What?

MR SPEAKER: The statement is about what the Minister has done.

MR BERRY: Mrs Carnell says, "What?". I will repeat it for you. You have not appointed a Director of Mental Health Services; you have not appointed a Professor of Psychiatric Services in the hospital system; you have not told us whether there is going to be a Professor of Psychiatric Services or whether it is going to be downgraded to associate professor level. You have not told us any of those things. You merely come up with a statement of some of the ideas that the Government is developing in the context of its new plans for mental health; but those key positions, Mrs Carnell, are being ignored. They are key positions to the development of mental health services. How on earth can you convince the community out there that the Government ought to be developing mental health services without the key positions being filled - that is, the Director of Mental Health Services and the Professor of Psychiatric Services? How can you proceed down that path? You can proceed down that path only if you are arrogant and unable to manage the portfolio.

Mrs Carnell: What is Richard Clarke?

MR BERRY: Mrs Carnell interjects, "What is Richard Clarke?". He is in neither of those positions because he is not qualified to be in either of those positions. He is not a psychiatrist. He is an administrator who has been appointed in the management stream. He does not qualify for the position of Director of Mental Health Services. That is no reflection on Mr Clarke. The reflection ought to be on the Chief Minister for her inability to properly recruit those very senior people before going down the path of developing the service.

What will happen in due course when the Director of Mental Health Services is appointed under the legislation - and it may be that the position of Professor of Psychiatric Services or associate Professor of Psychiatric Services, whatever it turns out to be, and the position of Director of Mental Health Services are one and the same? What if the new Director of Mental Health Services/professor/associate professor decides that he does not want to go down the path that the Government has resolved because it is not appropriate, because he is a psychiatrist and he knows a bit more about these things than does Mrs Carnell - or Mr Clarke, for that matter?

Mrs Carnell: Do you like doctors now?

MR BERRY: Mrs Carnell says, "Do you like doctors now?". I have the greatest respect for the medical profession. But unlike you, Mrs Carnell, I am not frightened of them.

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