Page 521 - Week 02 - Thursday, 22 February 1990
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personal concern about this matter at this time. I know that negotiations are taking place between ITPA and the NCPA in the hope that it will be resolved amicably.
MR JENSEN (5.17): Mr Speaker, I would just like to comment briefly on the statement made by Mr Whalan in this area. Last night at the function that we both attended in relation to the opening of the Royal Canberra Show this year, I had discussions with the representatives of Natex and indicated that we would be happy to talk with them and arrange a meeting to discuss the issues and their concerns.
MR DUBY (Minister for Finance and Urban Services) (5.18): I would also like to comment on this matter, and to say how welcome it is to hear Mr Whalan's concerns about a matter which of course has been under consideration for quite some time by officers of my department. It is a matter of concern to a large number of members of this Government. The proposed link road to which Mr Whalan refers has been a matter of concern. It is not a new issue; it is something that we are completely in control of and are in the process of reviewing at this moment. I would just like to clarify that for the sake of the record.
Mental Health Service
MR BERRY (5.18): I wish to speak about something that was discussed by Mr Humphries in the adjournment debate on Tuesday evening. And I must say that Mr Humphries has now got the belt because he told one of the biggest fibs that has been told in this place since the beginning of this session. I refer to the mental health issue in the ACT. Mr Humphries said at the outset that he very much shared the concern and the aspiration for a 24-hour mental health service, but then he went on for the remainder of his speech to point out how nothing would be done about it.
By way of an excuse, he did say that $150,000 was not enough to do anything about the mental health service. If one transposes $150,000 into budget terms, that means about $600,000 in a full year. To say that that is not much money in annual budgetary terms is a bit of a joke. Over a full year $150,000 is not a lot of money, but in terms of what the Alliance Government has left, it is heaps to get on with the job and start providing a 24-hour mental health service.
Mr Humphries then referred to a letter from Libby Steeper, who is convener of the Mental Health Task Force. He selectively quoted from that and talked about the $150,000 not being sufficient to provide a decent service. That is a quantitative statement if ever there was one, but what Mr Humphries very carefully avoided saying was some things that Ms Steeper raised in her letter. She said:
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