Page 1930 - Week 07 - Wednesday, 16 June 1993
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Also, I think we have to look at the legal definition of mental illness. Take the situation where during a seizure an act causes death to another person. In the case of an epileptic, that person could be regarded as being legally insane and, obviously, this has some very severe legal implications. If the same thing had occurred to a diabetic who was going into a coma, the problem would have been regarded as an accident. Obviously, this is an issue of concern. I understand that it is on the agenda for the world congress in 1995, which will take place in Sydney. It is an issue that I am sure we all hope will be addressed, and addressed very appropriately.
Another issue that I think is of importance for the ACT is the proposed new mental welfare Bill which Mr Connolly has suggested will come forward very shortly. I think it is very important for us to realise that many people with mental illness also are epileptics; but, whereas normalisation - that is, bringing our people with mental illness back into the community - is a very appropriate way to go for very many of these people, there are some people, and that is our severe epileptics, for whom it is not appropriate. People who have 30-plus seizures a day often find normalisation very difficult when there is not on-call treatment on a day-to-day, minute-by-minute basis. I certainly hope that these people will be addressed under our new mental health Act.
It is interesting to note that many famous people have been epileptics, people like Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Handel, Byron, possibly Napoleon - all people who managed to handle their epilepsy and get on with life very effectively. I think that we have to use this week, National Epilepsy Week, to address two things - to educate the community and to educate all of us here that epilepsy is not a mental condition and it does not make people different. In many cases, in fact in 80 per cent of cases, it can be controlled. In fact, 50 per cent of people never have another seizure. So it is really about education and understanding, and I hope that this week is used appropriately.
Question resolved in the affirmative.
PETROL PRICES - WORKING GROUP REPORT
Ministerial Statement
MR CONNOLLY (Attorney-General, Minister for Housing and Community Services and Minister for Urban Services) (3.52): Mr Deputy Speaker, I ask for leave of the Assembly to make a ministerial statement on the Government's position on recommendations made in the report of the ACT Government Working Group on Petrol Prices.
Leave granted.
MR CONNOLLY: I wish to announce the Government's position in relation to the recommendations made in the report of the ACT Government Working Group on Petrol Prices. That report was tabled in the Legislative Assembly on 26 November 1992. Public comment was sought and submissions addressing the report have been received from members of the oil industry, the Prices Surveillance Authority, the Motor Trades Association, Canberra Consumers Incorporated and the ACT Consumer Affairs Advisory Committee.
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