Page 1506 - Week 06 - Wednesday, 6 June 2007
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As I highlighted earlier, the Stanhope government is continually investigating ways of reducing Canberra’s exposure to tobacco use to reduce the health risk, but all Canberrans can take action. We all need to work together on this, as with many other issues. Habits are not easy to break, as we know, and helping people overcome their addiction to this particular habit needs the combined effort of all of us. By the way, further information on tobacco controls or smoke-free environments can be obtained by calling the health protection service, and enforcement queries can be directed to the Office of Regulatory Services.
I thank all members for their contributions to the debate. As the minister said, we will be supporting Mrs Burke’s amendment. Thank you for that amendment, Mrs Burke. My motion required the Assembly to report on the timetable, so we are in agreement, Mrs Burke. I thank everyone for their contributions to the debate.
Amendment agreed to.
Motion, as amended, agreed to.
Personal explanation
MR MULCAHY (Molonglo): I wish to make a statement pursuant to standing order 46 in that I have been misrepresented.
MR DEPUTY SPEAKER: The member may proceed.
MR MULCAHY: In the course of that debate—and I heard only a part of it; my ears were drawn to the mention of my name—two statements were made by the Deputy Chief Minister. First of all, she cited that my successor in running the tobacco institute back in the 1980s was Ms Staunton. I do not believe that to be the case. I think it was Mr St Vincent Welch. I took a position in the tobacco institute in 1988 or 1989 for a period of 15 months.
The second issue concerns a series of documents that have been published pursuant to a matter in the state of Michigan. I think there is something in the order of a million documents. In one of those documents, a report appears under the name of Ms Staunton. Ms Staunton claimed that she was working at the office at the AHA, which I headed up, and was providing ongoing assistance. I want to place on public record that Ms Staunton never met with me or with my staff. She once sought an appointment and then withdrew the request for an appointment. Any claims contained in her report to her employers indicating that assistance was provided are fabricated. I made that position known in an ABC interview a number of years ago. The report is false. I can only speculate on the motive. It is a serious misrepresentation to suggest that I was taking assistance from or operating under any direction or guidance whatsoever by those people in relation to the matters that were before my organisation.
Health—system
MRS BURKE (Molonglo) (5.02): I move:
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