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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 11 Hansard (29 November) . . Page.. 3406 ..

MR STANHOPE (continuing):

This is an inquiry into service quality, service monitoring and accountability, consumer protection, and resource allocation. That is what it is expected that Professor West would concentrate on. He is not being asked to inquire into the specific causes of these deaths. He has the wit, the intelligence, and the sensitivity to be aware of the coroner's role and power, and of the need not to trespass in those areas.

It is a nonsense to suggest that a government cannot initiate an inquiry into a matter that involves or is connected to a death, and which does involve a coronial inquest. I notice from the annual reports that were debated a week or two ago that, over the last year, the coroner has inquired into somewhere over 100 deaths.

I looked at the range of issues that arose out of those deaths, or the causes of those deaths, and I think there were 42 complete coronial inquiries into deaths. They covered an enormous range of circumstances. They covered road deaths. They covered poison deaths. They covered drownings. They covered the whole range of causes of death that we are aware of, and that people suffer within our community.

Is it seriously being suggested that this parliament not inquire into any single one of those issues? There was an unfortunate death in the Cotter River yesterday, a very sad occasion. Is it seriously suggested that, because of that death, this parliament could not initiate, if it felt so moved, an inquiry into the safety of swimming in the Cotter River, or the safety of our waterways? Is it seriously suggested that we could not inquire into the two matters in tandem because it is necessary for the death of the person who drowned in the Cotter River to be subject to coronial inquiry?

Of course, it is not a serious suggestion that anybody in this place would make. If you look at the range of deaths that have occurred and that have been investigated by the coroner over the last couple of years, you will see that it covers, as I said, every conceivable cause of death that human beings suffer. They have all been examined by the coroner, and I have no doubt that a range of other inquiries ran in tandem with his inquiries that in no way affected the coronial process.

It is a nonsense to suggest that we cannot initiate an inquiry into the systemic issues in relation to the delivery of disability services and care because there is a coronial inquiry currently proceeding in relation to some deaths of people in very sad circumstances while they were in care. It is just a nonsense to me. I respect the Chief Magistrate, I respect his views, but his views are not holy writ. They are strongly held views. And he has the right to express them, but we have our views, we have expressed them, and we expect this government to respond to them.

MR MOORE (Minister for Health, Housing and Community Services) (4.13): Mr Stanhope, I have to say to you through the chair that it is a great shame that you were not there yesterday when we had the meeting with the coroner.

Mr Stanhope: My colleague was, minister. Don't patronise me and insult me in that way.

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