Page 887 - Week 04 - Tuesday, 30 March 1993
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Health Advisory Council
MRS GRASSBY: My question is to the Minister for Health, Mr Berry. Can the Minister tell us what steps he has taken to establish an ACT health advisory council?
MR BERRY: I thank Mrs Grassby for the question. Members would be aware of Labor's commitment to a consultative approach to the development of health policy in the Territory. As part of that commitment, we have sought expressions of interest from people who wish to participate in a health advisory council for the ACT. The council will be a non-statutory body with up to 11 members and will represent a strong cross-section of the community - the health industry, unions, business and tertiary education sectors.
It will be a broadly based council with the objective of providing me with quality advice on the development of health services in the Territory. It will advise me principally on long-term issues and priorities for the ACT health system and will be part of the planning for the health needs of the Canberra region, bearing in mind that the public health system in the ACT provides services for the south-east region of New South Wales as well. The advisory committee will therefore be charged with the responsibility of advising me of the needs of the south-east region, to the extent that they can be determined. All members will be appointed by me for a three-year period. An advertisement has been placed in the Canberra Times, I understand, last Saturday, and there will be some other advertisements as well.
The Government is committed to maximising community input into the development of health services in the Territory, and I am confident that this approach will lead to a building of confidence within the ACT public health system. We need to put behind us the years of criticism of the system, which can be dealt with by this means as one way of approaching the issue. Undoubtedly, the Liberal health spokesperson will have some criticism of a council to advise me, as the Liberals criticise everything that governments do. That is what Liberal oppositions are for.
Mr Humphries: Labor oppositions were pretty good at it, too, in their day.
MR BERRY: No, we were expert at it. We were spot-on all the time. There are no inaccuracies from a Labor opposition. But we are not going back there, so you will not have to worry about that any more. Madam Speaker, this is a positive move for health in the Territory. It is one that will be well received, I am sure. I trust that once the committee is up and running we will be able to provide for the community a clear demonstration of the sort of advice we will use in the development of our health system for the people of the ACT and for the people of the south-east region.
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