Page 188 - Week 01 - Wednesday, 14 December 2016
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
Frankly, anybody who is going to any sort of medical service does not want to have to turn up and be stared at. They do not want to experience catcalls, to be made to feel small or to be made to feel like some sort of second-class citizen when they are going for a medical treatment. That is what this is all about.
I welcome the fact that a majority of this Assembly was able to support this legislation. It was a tricky issue in the sense that the right to protest is a very important one. Freedom of speech is extremely important in this city. But I think we got the balance right in simply providing a specific geographic zone, what you might call an exclusion zone or a privacy zone where people can access the medical facility in the city without having to run the gauntlet, whilst leaving the rest of the ACT for people who have a disagreement with that issue to go and protest, be it outside the Assembly, in Garema Place, at the bus interchange or on the lawns of Parliament House—all those places where you can go and protest in Canberra. There remain plenty without getting that very direct, very personal privacy-breaching confrontation that was taking place outside the medical facility here in Canberra.
I thank Mr Steel for reminding us of that. I think it was a worthwhile reform. Interestingly, in the course of the campaign, when you get out and meet a lot of people, I was honestly surprised at how many people brought this up. A lot of people would say, “It’s a bit of a marginal issue.” I was surprised by the number of people who noted it and really welcomed the passage of that legislation.
There is the establishment of a regulatory environment for ride sharing services like Uber. That is quite different from the last matter we were discussing; it goes more to reflecting on the willingness of the ACT to move quickly to embrace new opportunities. The introduction of legislation for ride sharing is one of those examples where the change has provided greater diversity in transport services and greater affordability in transport services.
I have met people who have said, “I never used to take a taxi, but now I am able to afford Uber, so I will use that.” I have met some people who have said, “I will take the bus now, because I know that if I happen to miss the last bus, I can afford to get Uber home, whereas perhaps I could not afford a taxi before.” I was interested in that social response to our reform: people were seeing a range of transport opportunities opening up for them. That is very positive. Something like the arrival of ride sharing in the ACT is a great example of where, when you take an opportunity, other things spin off that you may not have anticipated. That was one of those examples.
Establishing an office of mental health was a policy that the Greens were pleased to take to the election. I am pleased that it has come through in the parliamentary agreement. It is something we will partner with the Labor Party to deliver. I am particularly pleased—members, I am sure, have noticed this—that, for the first time, this government has created a specific portfolio for mental health here in the ACT. This is recognition of the seriousness of the issues and the significant impact that mental health concerns have in our community.
This provides an opportunity to both scrutinise this area of service delivery much more thoroughly and drive the changes that are needed. An office for mental health
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video