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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1998 Week 4 Hansard (25 June) . . Page.. 1102 ..

MR SMYTH (continuing):

the business sector confidence in the quality of land in the ACT; and to allow for the recovery of costs of assessment and remediation, in most cases from the polluter but, if he or she cannot be found or cannot meet the costs, from the party who stands to gain the most from remediation of the land.

An important element of this legislation is the provision of public access to information through the establishment of a register of contaminated sites. The register has been designed to achieve a careful and appropriate balance between the right of the public to know about contaminated land and the right of a lessee to be protected from financial loss where his or her land may have been investigated but cleared of contamination, or investigated and subsequently remediated. Mr Speaker, I will conclude by saying that this legislation, when ultimately introduced and passed, will allow the ACT to continue to apply national best practice in environmental protection. I welcome the close scrutiny the exposure draft Bill will undoubtedly receive.

Question resolved in the affirmative.

MR MOORE (Minister for Health and Community Care) (5.30): Mr Speaker, for the information of members, I present a whole-of-Territory strategic plan for mental health services entitled "The Future of Mental Health Services in the Australian Capital Territory", and I ask for leave to move a motion in relation to the report.

Leave granted.

MR MOORE: I move:

That the strategic plan entitled "The Future of Mental Health Services in the Australian Capital Territory" be referred to the Standing Committee on Health and Community Care for inquiry and report by 25 August 1998.

It is with pleasure that I table the first whole-of-Territory strategic plan for mental health services in the ACT. It will not surprise members that our vision for the ACT is that of a clever, caring capital. Our vision for mental health is:

In partnership with customers, service providers and the community, to continuously improve mental health and community care services in the ACT to maximise both community and individual health and emotional and social wellbeing.

The plan provides the vehicle through which this vision will be realised. It is a product of months of hard work by many caring people who firmly believe in the importance of support in the community to understand that mental health is an issue for all of us.

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