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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2002 Week 7 Hansard (5 June) . . Page.. 1944 ..

MR CORNWELL (continuing):

done nothing. But then I am getting used to this from the government. A great deal of concern is expressed by this government, a great deal of compassion expressed by this government, but very little action. I do not know the detail of the 14 recommendations, of the-

Mr Stanhope: I do, Mr Cornwell.

MR CORNWELL: Well, why didn't you act on them before now? Why did you take six months?

Mr Quinlan: Get on a committee, Greg, and do something yourself.

MR CORNWELL: No. What you do, Mr Quinlan, Mr Treasurer, you set up a committee to look at this because you have not got the courage to take action yourselves.

I am aware of the motion of 10 April, which Ms Dundas quite properly brings forward in her motion, calling upon the government to produce a schedule outlining action or progress towards action in respect of previous Assembly reports. Now, that is perfectly in order and I would agree with you. The report on elder abuse in the ACT was tabled in August 2001. It was not addressed by the previous government of the day because there was an election in October.

Mr Quinlan: Shame!

MR CORNWELL: And shame on you for walking out at this point, Mr Chief Minister. Yes, I can imagine you going out.

The elder abuse report was not addressed; it was brought down in August 2001-Ms Tucker knows that this happened. The election was called for October and it obviously could not be responded to before that October election. In fact, that is probably the only report that was not addressed before the October election. When I say "addressed", I mean brought back by the government of the day to this Assembly with the government's view of the recommendations, in this case 14 in number, that were made by that committee.

The interesting point, however, is that it was not picked up by the new government. The new government, six months old, has not come back to this Assembly with any response to that report No 11 of the previous health committee. I don't know why that was the case. However, I am puzzled, because this is what I find in the Labor Party policy document prior to the last election-and I will quote from page 60 of that document, dated 6 November 2001-and Ms Dundas might like to listen to this, if Ms Tucker would give her a chance to listen.

Ms Dundas might like to know that the Labor policy document dated 6 November 2001 stated:

Labor will implement the key findings of the Assembly Health and Community Care Committee Inquiry into Elder Abuse.

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