Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .

Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 12 Hansard (7 December) . . Page.. 3921 ..

MR STEFANIAK (continuing):

My wife goes to see a herbalist or something else who is not a doctor but does a wonderful job. She prefers that to going to a doctor. There are certain things that that person cannot do and will send her to a professional medical practitioner with a degree simply because that has to occur, but that is not to say that the initial person who does a wonderful job cannot do all the things that my wife needs other than what a formal registered medical practitioner does. That is very similar to the position with a school counsellor.

I think that this amendment is an absolute nonsense. All Mr Stanhope is doing is extending for another 18 months or so a transition period that has been there since this act started. It is not going to matter one jot, really, in terms of what happens at the coal face. We value our school counsellors, whether they are or are not psychologists. They do an excellent job. There are lots of other analogies through other professions, as I have mentioned. Really, I think there are lots of furphies in what Mr Stanhope is proposing. Mr Moore is simply doing what everyone anticipated and knew would happen when this legislation first came in many years ago.

MR HARGREAVES (9.37): I have a question of Mr Moore, through you, Mr Temporary Deputy Speaker. I just heard Mr Moore say that children are really badly in danger with these people and I heard the Minister for Education say that nobody will lose their job. Does that mean that both ministers are condoning maintaining these children at risk or do they admit that there is no risk and therefore nothing to be gained or lost by concurring with Mr Stanhope's amendment?

Question put:

The Assembly voted -

Ayes, 9  	Noes, 8

Mr Berry  	Ms Carnell
Mr Corbell  	Mr Cornwell
Mr Hargreaves  	Mr Hird
Mr Kaine  	Mr Humphries
Mr Quinlan  	Mr Moore
Mr Rugendyke  	Mr Osborne
Mr Stanhope  	Mr Smyth
Ms Tucker  	Mr Stefaniak
Mr Wood 

Question so resolved in the affirmative.

Amendment agreed to.

Bill, as a whole, as amended, agreed to.

Bill, as amended, agreed to.

Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .