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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2002 Week 2 Hansard (19 February) . . Page.. 364 ..

MR STANHOPE (continuing):

participants, including service providers and consumers, and I understand that he has already commenced these discussions.

The third group of findings and recommendations relates to complaint procedures and advocacy arrangements, and will be referred to the Health Rights Advisory Council for advice. This council, established under the Community and Health Services Complaints Act 1993, provides advice to the Minister for Health on complaints matters. Several findings and recommendations in this category touch on the systemic responsibilities of the Community Advocate as well as the role of personal guardian for individuals. I have asked the chief executive of the Department of Justice and Community Safety to review these matters in consultation with stakeholders and the Office of Disability.

The final group of findings and recommendations relates to the performance of the Department of Health and Community Care, the ACT Health and Community Care Service Board and ACT Community Care itself.

In addition, there are certain specific findings and recommendations about individual senior officials. The findings and recommendations relating to the performance of organisations will be dealt with by using the processes and independent advice that I have already described.

The remaining matter that I need to address today concerns the officials about whom recommendations have been made. As members will be aware, these officers consider that the conduct of the inquiry failed to provide them with procedural fairness, and some of these officers are pursuing this matter in the courts. I do not propose to comment further on that particular matter other then to note that the government will be involved in the proceedings, in a neutral capacity, to assist the court where we can. My purpose today is to ensure that the government itself deals fairly with these officers.

To that end I asked each of these officers whether they wished to make available a statement for tabling in response to the specific inquiry findings and recommendations which relate to them. With the agreement of the Assembly I have tabled statements today from Dr Penny Gregory and Ms Glenys Beauchamp, from Ms Heather McGregor and from Mr Michael Szwarcbord and Ms Lynne Grayson.

The officers' names fall into three groups. Firstly, there are the direct employees of the government, namely, the chief executive of the Department of Health and Community Care, Dr Penny Gregory, and the executive director of Community Health, Ms Glenys Beauchamp. I have sought and received advice from the chief executive of the Chief Minister's Department, Mr Robert Tonkin, on his assessment of the findings and recommendations relating to these officers.

Having considered these matters and, taking into account Mr Tonkin's assessment and advice, I am able to say that I have complete confidence in the ability of both Dr Gregory and Ms Beauchamp to undertake the full range of their current duties, including the provision of policy advice on disability services.

The second group is officials employed by the ACT Health and Community Care Service Board, namely Mr Michael Szwarcbord, chief executive of ACT Community Care, and Ms Lynne Grayson, director of the Disability Program.

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