Page 4289 - Week 14 - Tuesday, 29 November 1994
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As I said, the Opposition will be supporting this legislation with a number of amendments. It is good legislation. I believe that it is very important that legislation of this nature is passed through this Assembly in this sitting. I think many of us would have had some complaints over a period about people practising in this area - people who may not have the required qualifications, people who, for whatever reason, may not be practising in the public interest. Obviously, the vast percentage of people who are practising as psychologists in the ACT are practising very properly; but I know that they too are concerned that, in their profession, there is no way to ensure that people who are not practising quite the same way are being weeded out.
Again, Madam Speaker, I think it is important to restate the position about fees. Professional boards are set up to protect the community. That is what they are there for. They are there to protect the community in a professional manner. We do have a Health Complaints Unit that can look at prices charged. It is certainly not normally the duty of a health registration board. I would be disappointed if this were to become a normal requirement of this Government for registration boards.
MS SZUTY (11.20): Madam Speaker, legislation to provide for the registration of psychologists and to control the practice of psychology has been talked about by government for some time. In fact, I recall seeing psychologists legislation on the Government's autumn legislation program in 1993. I note that this is another of the mutual recognition Bills which, as Mrs Carnell says, fulfils in part the ACT's commitment to introduce a uniform approach to the regulation of health occupations in all States and Territories. I understand that during the consultation process members of the Australian Psychological Society, members of the Australian College of Clinical Psychologists, and school counsellors in the ACT were consulted about the form of the legislation.
The processes for full unconditional registration, or registration with conditions, are interesting to note. For unconditional registration as a psychologist, a person must be a graduate of a course of education and training in psychology - a four-year course - from an Australian institution which is accredited by the board or approved by a registration authority of a State or another Territory and have had two years of supervised experience in an area of psychology to the satisfaction of the board. "Supervised experience" means academic assessment in these circumstances. Further criteria for the granting of unconditional registration as a psychologist are outlined in the Minister's presentation speech, as follows: A person who is a graduate of a course of education or training in psychology in a place outside Australia which is substantially equivalent to an Australian course. This is assessed both by the national office of overseas skills assessment, which is part of the Federal Department of Employment, Education and Training, and by the Australian Psychological Society.
Registration with conditions may be granted at the discretion of the board in certain circumstances. The transitional provisions of the Bill will enable people who hold qualifications in psychology which do not entitle them to registration under this Bill, but which would have entitled them to practise as psychologists at the time qualifications were gained to gain registration, provided that they have practised psychology for
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