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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 6 Hansard (25 May) . . Page.. 1834 ..
MR MOORE (continuing):
Each consumer has the right to be free from physical, sexual, verbal emotional abuse and neglect.
Underpinning this standard, we will develop a definition of abuse guided by the report, reinforce agencies' response mechanisms, many of which are already in place, and monitor service providers to ensure that priority attention is given to abuse prevention. From 1999-2000, the ACT Community Care contract has also required a specific abuse prevention approach. I note, however, in the DSAC report that as early as 1998 ACT Community Care disability programs abuse prevention policies, among others, are commended as best practice.
Non-government services agencies funded by the ACT government are also required under their contracts to have a complaints response procedure in place. I also note that a national project is under way to identify best practice in preventing abuse, which will further assist ACT service providers.
Mr Speaker, there has been speculation that the withholding of this report by government has been a cover-up. I trust that, with the tabling of the report, those speculations will be addressed. I also draw members' attention to action already taken and further action planned over the next year to ensure that abuse is prevented.
Debate resumed.
MR HUMPHRIES (Treasurer, Attorney-General and Minister for Justice and Community Safety) (4.56): I believe that the Assembly has come back to this sort of issue before. Issues of ministerial conduct are being raised in this Assembly with rather more frequency than they have been raised before. I have to confess that I do not believe it is because the conduct of ministers in this government is any more worthy of comment than in previous years. I believe, Mr Speaker, that it has become something of a political ritual in this particular chamber. In fact it is interesting that actually a year ago-eerily, it is on the very day-
Mr Berry: Do you know anybody who blew up a hospital? You don't know anybody who blew up a hospital.
MR HUMPHRIES: Nor did I flush $4 million down the drain for a VITAB deal.
Mr Berry: Neither did I.
MR HUMPHRIES: Well, you did, I'm afraid. You did.
MR SPEAKER: Order, please! I will not have interjections.
MR HUMPHRIES
: Go and read Professor Pearce, Wayne. Refresh your memory about that. The fact is that on this day last year, in the opposition reply on the budget, we had
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