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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2001 Week 5 Hansard (3 May) . . Page.. 1393 ..

MR QUINLAN: Bob Beatty commenced his working career as an electrical engineer with the ACT Electricity Authority. He worked with the authority for some time, as did his father. I knew him personally, and I knew him well before the emergence of his mental illness.

As Ms Tucker has pointed out, fairly early in life he took to industry journalism, and I continued to run into him in that role because he would attend all conferences. He was quite assiduous in garnering information to support things that he wanted to comment on, or those things that he wanted to argue very forcefully in favour of. He did become a very significant figure within the electricity supply industry because of his unique talents and the boundless enthusiasm that he had for what he was doing.

I am aware that in more recent times he became an articulate advocate for people suffering from mental illness. He undertook that activity despite the stigma that was attached, and does still attach, to mental illness. He was a model for society to observe that mental illness is an illness that can strike down the most beautiful people. Often eulogies overstate or are selectively kind to people, but I have to say that Ms Tucker's words were not an overstatement of Bob Beatty. His very tragic passing is Canberra's great loss. I support the motion.

MR RUGENDYKE: I also rise to briefly express sadness at the loss of Bob Beatty. As a child I grew up in the same area of Ainslie as Bob's family. He was in the same year as my younger sister. In recent times I have only known of Bob since his appearance before the health committee as a very articulate, thorough and good advocate for people with mental illness.

I think it is important to note that we, as a community, do not realise the tragedies that beset some people in our community through mental illness. I certainly had no idea that Bob suffered in this way, so I do express my sadness for the loss of such a good advocate for people with his condition and people with other illnesses that he spoke for. I do express my great sadness for the loss of Bob in this way.

Question resolved in the affirmative, members standing in their places.

Financial Management Legislation Amendment Bill 2001

Mr Humphries , pursuant to notice, presented the bill and its explanatory memorandum.

Title read by Clerk.

MR HUMPHRIES (Chief Minister, Minister for Community Affairs and Treasurer) (10.51): I move:

I have presented to the Assembly an important bill which is integral to the government's program of financial management improvement in the ACT public service. The bill will remove the prohibition on the use of financial derivative instruments for investment purposes, subject to the future issue of financial management guidelines issued under the

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