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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 10 Hansard (18 October) . . Page.. 3202 ..

MR HUMPHRIES: I move:

I move this motion simply to reflect the convention in this place that there be a suspension of sittings for a few weeks after the election of a new Chief Minister to allow such things as the appointment of a ministry to occur and other administrative arrangements to be made. I commend the motion to the house.

Question resolved in the affirmative.

Motion (by Mr Humphries ) proposed:

That the Assembly do now adjourn.

MR STANHOPE (Leader of the Opposition) (1.05): Mr Speaker, I wanted to take the opportunity in the adjournment debate today to commend the former minister for health for his decision to name the new hospice Clare Holland House. I felt moved to acknowledge this today on the basis that Clare Holland was a strong personal friend of mine, and I really am quite touched that Clare has been honoured in this way.

I think it is quite significant that Clare Holland, a very significant Australian, somebody that led the palliative care team at the hospice for a significant number of years, has been honoured in this way. I think it quite appropriate in that Clare devoted much of her professional life to the care of people with terminal illness and to advancing the cause of hospice and palliative care.

Clare came to Canberra in 1973 after a period of service in the Australian Army. Clare served with the Australian Armed Forces in Vietnam and was in fact awarded the Australian overseas humanitarian medal for the services she rendered in Vietnam. The Australian overseas humanitarian medal is awarded to those people who have rendered humanitarian service in hazardous circumstances, and it was a very significant award that she gained.

As I said, she then came to Canberra in 1973, worked for a period in Woden Valley Hospital, then in community nursing, and she was ultimately appointed as the manager of the palliative care home-based program in 1988. Clare remained in that position for a number of years. Regrettably, Clare contracted breast cancer and she ultimately died as a result of that cancer.

I commend the former minister for the decision. I think it is a very appropriate decision. I am really pleased to see that Clare has been honoured in this way. I think it is wonderfully fitting that the hospice has been named after Clare Holland.

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