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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1998 Week 10 Hansard (25 November) . . Page.. 2873 ..

MS TUCKER: I ask a supplementary question. I would like you to answer the first question, which is: Why? Also I would ask: Has any account been taken of this study in the development of the new ACTION public transport network, if you are working on it and you have got something done?

MR SMYTH: It is an integrated land transport strategy. It will take into account public transport, because that is an essential part of our land transport system. As soon as the report is ready, I will be releasing it. As to the delays from previous budget years, I cannot answer for those. I will find out for you, but as soon as the strategy is ready it will be released.

MR BERRY: My question is to the Minister for Health and Community Care. It is also about a report. I hope we can get our hands on this one. Minister, earlier this year you received from the Health Complaints Commissioner a report on Karralika which spelt out in great detail what was wrong there. You chose to deal with this report by commissioning another report. Is it true that this report is now in your possession? As the recommendations of the Health Complaints Commissioner have so far not been totally implemented, will you be publicly releasing the second report which you commissioned? Would you advise us on the timetable that you have in mind for action on this very important issue?

MR MOORE: Thank you for the question, Mr Berry. I think I will answer your last question first. When will I begin action on this very important issue? You will be pleased to know, Mr Berry, that action started straightaway, even before I had the Health Complaints Commissioner's report in my hands. I commissioned a report that was done by Dr Stephen Mugford on the best possible methods of delivering rehabilitation for drug-dependent people at a place like Karralika. That report, I understand, is completed. At the same time we ran a parallel set of changes that were already beginning.

It is not a case of just saying that I commissioned another report and nothing happened. In fact, there have already been significant changes at Karralika. The annual general meeting of ADFACT, which occurred, as my recollection serves me, last Thursday night - it might have been the Thursday before - considered whether they would take account of some of the changes that have been recommended. One of the recommendations is to change the system by which Karralika is governed. One choice I had, Mr Berry, was to say, "Let us get rid of ADFACT. Let us perhaps hand Karralika over to Community Care, the Salvation Army, Centacare or somebody else". The other choice was to try to modify the system that was in place so that we can get the best possible outcomes for people seeking rehabilitation. I determined that the most effective way to do that was to seek some change.

Mr Berry, some people involved with Karralika have come to see me because they do not like the changes that are occurring. That is to be expected. The Health Complaints Commissioner identified a series of problems. It is not enough to say that I just commissioned another report. I did not. Part of the premise of your question is that nothing has happened about the Health Complaints Commissioner's recommendation.

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