DOCSLIB.ORG

Legislative Assembly

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Legislative Assembly 2107 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY Thursday 2 June 2011 __________ The Speaker (The Hon. Shelley Elizabeth Hancock) took the chair at 10.00 a.m. The Speaker read the Prayer and acknowledgement of country. BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE Suspension of Standing and Sessional Orders: Precedence of Business Motion by Mr Brad Hazzard agreed to: That standing and sessional orders be suspended for general business to take precedence of the Address in Reply for the remainder of the autumn sittings. BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE Suspension of Standing and Sessional Orders: Inaugural Speeches Motion by Mr Brad Hazzard agreed to: That the business before the House be interrupted at 11.30 a.m. to permit the presentation of inaugural speeches by the members for Coogee and Monaro. WATER FLUORIDATION Mr JOHN WILLIAMS (Murray-Darling) [10.06 a.m.]: I move: That this House requests that the Public Water Supplies Act 1957 be amended to give local water authorities the ultimate power to make decisions concerning the addition of fluoride to public water within their locality. It is my duty as a member of Parliament to advise the House of some of the objections that I have received from communities in my electorate in regard to the fluoridation of water. When this motion was listed on the Business Paper prior to the election I promised I would raise this matter in the House on behalf of the community of Balranald, which is concerned about different aspects of water fluoridation. That concern has been driven primarily by internet-generated reports, which members in my community believe are a credible reason to cease the fluoridation of water supplies. I have indicated to them that I do not support their view. However, today I will do my duty as a member of Parliament, bring this matter to the attention of the House and provide clear evidence why water fluoridation is an important health provision. I have delayed debate on this motion to enable the member for Blue Mountains to contribute to it. The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Mount Druitt will come to order. Mr JOHN WILLIAMS: Many members would be aware that the member for Blue Mountains has spent much of her working life as a dentist and obviously will have strong views about and firsthand knowledge of the benefits of fluoridation. Although 97 per cent of the electorates in New South Wales currently engage in the fluoridation of water supplies, at some point they are challenged by people presenting them with information that has been sourced from the internet, which they believe is credible and scientifically based because someone has put his or her name to it and acknowledged that he or she is qualified to hold such an opinion. For some time health professionals have stressed the importance of inoculating children against disease. I have no doubt that they will stress also the importance of water fluoridation. Many internet campaigns have identified the source of naturally occurring fluoride in our water supplies which has had an effect on the health of our communities. They have acknowledged that the removal from our water supplies of such naturally occurring fluoride would reduce health risks in our communities. Scientific evidence supporting water fluoridation dates back as far as the 1950s. Reputable scientific health and 2108 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 2 June 2011 health-related professional organisations throughout the world have recognised the importance of water fluoridation due to the oral health and economic benefits it confers. These organisations have separately endorsed fluoridation of drinking water as a desirable public health policy based on numerous scientific studies carried out throughout the world. In Australia this includes the National Health and Medical Research Council, the Australian Dental Association, the Australian Medical Association, the Public Health Association of Australia, the Cancer Council, Diabetes Australia, the Australian Academy of Science, the Australian Centre for Human Health Risk Assessment, Osteoporosis Australia, Arthritis Australia, Alzheimer's Australia and the Australian Academy of Paediatric Dentistry. Internationally this includes the World Health Organization, the United States Public Health Service, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the International Association of Dental Research, the FDI World Dental Federation, the Royal College of Surgeons, United Kingdom and the Royal College of Physicians, United Kingdom. In 2010 the World Health Organization reiterated its support for the extension of water fluoridation programs and said: Water fluoridation is one of the most cost-effective public health measures to improve dental health and reduce inequities through benefiting disadvantaged populations. In 2008 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States of America released data that showed that almost 70 per cent, or approximately 210 million people in the United States with reticulated water supplies, had water fluoridation. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention called for a further extension of water fluoridation in those States with lower coverage levels. In 2007 the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council conducted a systematic review and released a public statement entitled, "The efficacy and safety of fluoridation 2007". The recommendation made by the National Health and Medical Research Council, after examining all the studies on water fluoridation, is as follows: Fluoridation of drinking water remains the most effective and socially equitable means of achieving community wide exposure to the caries prevention effects of fluoride. It is recommended that water be fluoridated in the target range of 0.6 to 1.1 milligrams per litre, depending on the climate, to balance reduction of dental caries and occurrence of dental fluorosis. There was also no negative health impact from optimal water fluoridation at 1 milligram per litre. In November 2006 researchers from the World Health Organization, the World Dental Federation and the International Association for Dental Research met at the Global Consultation on Oral Health Through Fluoride. Those researchers said: Taking account of the scientific evidence, as well as several World Health Organisation World Health Assembly resolutions and other technical reports, the experts reaffirmed the efficiency, cost-effectiveness and safety of the daily use of optimal fluoride. In 2006 Australia's Research Centre for Population Oral Health reported the conclusion of the consensus Workshop on the Use of Fluorides in Australia and stated: Water fluoridation should be continued as it remains an effective, efficient, socially equitable and safe population approach to the prevention of caries in Australia and water fluoridation should be extended to as many people as possible living in non-fluoridated areas of Australia. The 2004 United States surgeon general's statement on community water fluoridation is as follows: Since the 1950s each US Public Health Service Surgeon General has committed his or her support for community water fluoridation. In 2004 Richard H Carmona joined previous Surgeons General in acknowledging the continuing public health role for community water fluoridation in enhancing the oral health of all Americans. In 1999 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention rated water fluoridation as one of the top 10 public health measures for the twentieth century, alongside the eradication of poliomyelitis and smallpox. It is evident that credible health bodies throughout the world have a similar opinion about the fluoridation of water. For me, it is more about allowing someone to have his or her say. This has gone on for too long in communities that are opposed to fluoridation. None of the claims that has been made on the internet are based on any scientific evidence. Since raising the matter in this House, I have received a firm written commitment from the Chief Health Officer that no community would be forced to upgrade its water processing and distribution systems to include fluoride. [Time expired.] Dr ANDREW McDONALD (Macquarie Fields) [10.16 a.m.]: I thank the member Murray-Darling for moving this motion and appreciate his reasons for doing so. All members have to represent their constituents without fear or favour, even though they might not agree with the views that have been expressed. 2 June 2011 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 2109 I would like to hear what the member for Blue Mountains has to say about this important issue as she knows much more about fluoridation than I do. I extend best regards to the Balranald community. Last year I visited the Balranald multipurpose service and was very impressed by the town and its new multipurpose service. Fluoridation, which was first introduced in 1945 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, is simply an adjustment of public water supplies to the optimal fluoride level—which is 0.7 to 1.2 parts per million. Fluoridation was originally noticed when areas with high fluoride content were found to have less dental caries than areas with low fluoride content. There is absolutely no doubt in any of the scientific literature that community water fluoridation is the single most effective public health measure to prevent tooth decay. Public water fluoridation reduces dental caries by 20 to 40 per cent, even in areas with other widespread fluoride sources, such as fluoride toothpaste. This motion is a Trojan horse because it hides the fact that, if it were successful, it could have significant adverse effects on public health. As a result of opposition
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Inaugural Speeches in the NSW Parliament Briefing Paper No 4/2013 by Gareth Griffith
    Inaugural speeches in the NSW Parliament Briefing Paper No 4/2013 by Gareth Griffith ACKNOWLEDGEMENT The author would like to thank officers from both Houses for their comments on a draft of this paper, in particular Stephanie Hesford and Jonathan Elliott from the Legislative Assembly and Stephen Frappell and Samuel Griffith from the Legislative Council. Thanks, too, to Lenny Roth and Greig Tillotson for their comments and advice. Any errors are the author’s responsibility. ISSN 1325-5142 ISBN 978 0 7313 1900 8 May 2013 © 2013 Except to the extent of the uses permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means including information storage and retrieval systems, without the prior consent from the Manager, NSW Parliamentary Research Service, other than by Members of the New South Wales Parliament in the course of their official duties. Inaugural speeches in the NSW Parliament by Gareth Griffith NSW PARLIAMENTARY LIBRARY RESEARCH SERVICE Gareth Griffith (BSc (Econ) (Hons), LLB (Hons), PhD), Manager, Politics & Government/Law .......................................... (02) 9230 2356 Lenny Roth (BCom, LLB), Acting Senior Research Officer, Law ............................................ (02) 9230 3085 Lynsey Blayden (BA, LLB (Hons)), Research Officer, Law ................................................................. (02) 9230 3085 Talina Drabsch (BA, LLB (Hons)), Research Officer, Social Issues/Law ........................................... (02) 9230 2484 Jack Finegan (BA (Hons), MSc), Research Officer, Environment/Planning..................................... (02) 9230 2906 Daniel Montoya (BEnvSc (Hons), PhD), Research Officer, Environment/Planning ..................................... (02) 9230 2003 John Wilkinson (MA, PhD), Research Officer, Economics ...................................................... (02) 9230 2006 Should Members or their staff require further information about this publication please contact the author.
    [Show full text]
  • Some Aspects of the Federal Political Career of Andrew Fisher
    SOME ASPECTS OF THE FEDERAL POLITICAL CAREER OF ANDREW FISHER By EDWARD WIL.LIAM I-IUMPHREYS, B.A. Hans. MASTER OF ARTS Department of History I Faculty of Arts, The University of Melbourne Submitted in total fulfilment of the requirements of the degr'ee of Masters of Arts (by Thesis only) JulV 2005 ABSTRACT Andrew Fisher was prime minister of Australia three times. During his second ministry (1910-1913) he headed a government that was, until the 1940s, Australia's most reformist government. Fisher's second government controlled both Houses; it was the first effective Labor administration in the history of the Commonwealth. In the three years, 113 Acts were placed on the statute books changing the future pattern of the Commonwealth. Despite the volume of legislation and changes in the political life of Australia during his ministry, there is no definitive full-scale biographical published work on Andrew Fisher. There are only limited articles upon his federal political career. Until the 1960s most historians considered Fisher a bit-player, a second ranker whose main quality was his moderating influence upon the Caucus and Labor ministry. Few historians have discussed Fisher's role in the Dreadnought scare of 1909, nor the background to his attempts to change the Constitution in order to correct the considered deficiencies in the original drafting. This thesis will attempt to redress these omissions from historical scholarship Firstly, it investigates Fisher's reaction to the Dreadnought scare in 1909 and the reasons for his refusal to agree to the financing of the Australian navy by overseas borrowing.
    [Show full text]
  • A Creature of a Momentary Panic
    | LEGAL HISTORY | A creature of a momentary panic Tony Cunneen discusses the passage of the Judges’ Retirement Act in NSW, 1917-181 Introduction Joseph Browne, a member of the New South Wales Legislative Former chief justice, the Honourable Sir Gerard Brennan AC, Council, was counsel for the plaintiff. He objected to the KBE, in his address to The Francis Forbes Society for Australian attack and said ‘it was very painful to listen to such insulting Legal History, said that ‘an appreciation of the law (is not) remarks’, although this was not the line he took when the bill likely to be accurate without an understanding of the cultural was discussed in parliament. The exchanges between Conroy and institutional forces which brought it into existence.’2 A and Mr Justice Simpson continued with Conroy becoming close examination of the passage of the Judges’ Retirement Act increasingly agitated and eventually the Sydney Morning Herald 1918 through the New South Wales Parliament in 1917 and reported that he ‘made a remark’ which caused 1918 provides a fascinating example of just how such forces ‘considerable excitement . throughout the court. The tipstaff have operated in the past. The bill graphically represents the approached Mr Conroy and shouted “Silence!” Mr Conroy’s interplay of political, personal and social issues on legislation, excited condition indicated a possibility of something more which, in this case, profoundly affected the careers of those forcible than his language. The constable attached to the court in the legal profession. The passing of the bill went against came into the room.’ English precedent and made more places available on the The judge and his associate left the court and as they did so bench for lawyers who were Australian born and trained.
    [Show full text]
  • Labour Intellectuals in Australia: Modes, Traditions, Generations, Transformationsã
    IRSH 50 (2005), pp. 1–26 DOI: 10.1017/S002085900400183X # 2005 Internationaal Instituut voor Sociale Geschiedenis Labour Intellectuals in Australia: Modes, Traditions, Generations, Transformationsà Terry Irving and Sean Scalmer Summary: The article begins with a discussion of labour intellectuals as knowledge producers in labour institutions, and of the labour public in which this distinctive kind of intellectual emerges, drawing on our previously published work. Next we construct a typology of three ‘‘modes’’ of the labour intellectual that were proclaimed and remade from the 1890s (the ‘‘movement’’ the ‘‘representational’’, and the ‘‘revolutionary’’), and identify the broad historical processes (certification, polarization, and contraction) of the labour public. In a case study comparing the 1890s and 1920s we demonstrate how successive generations of labour intellectuals combined elements of these ideal types in different ways to develop traditions of intellectual work. The article concludes with a sketch of the labour public after the crisis of the 1920s. It considers the rise of the ‘‘militant’’ intellectual in the 1930s, the role of publicists, planners and experts in the 1940s, the skill of ‘‘generalship’’ in the polarized 1940s and 1950s, the failure to meet the challenge of the new social movements in the 1970s, and the decline of the agitational, movement-identified intellectual. Australians have often been described as an anti-intellectual people – almost as often as the labour movement has itself been dubbed with this dreaded sobriquet. The Australian labour movement would therefore appear to be a doubly marginal location for the thinker – an anti- intellectual fragment of an anti-intellectual culture. Appearances are not always deceptive.
    [Show full text]
  • BN0 Winter2010.Pdf
    | Contents | 2 Editor’s note 4 President’s column 6 Letters to the editor 8 Bar Practice Course 01/10 9 Opinion A review of the Senior Counsel Protocol Ego and ethics Increase the retirement age for federal judges 102 Addresses 132 Obituaries 22 Recent developments The 2010 Sir Maurice Byers Address Glenn Whitehead 42 Features Internationalisation of domestic law Bernard Sharpe Judicial biography: one plant but Frank McAlary QC several varieties 115 Muse The Hon Jeff Shaw QC Rake Sir George Rich Stephen Stewart Chris Egan A really rotten judge: Justice James 117 Personalia Clark McReynolds Roger Quinn Chief Justice Patrick Keane The Hon Bill Fisher AO QC 74 Legal history Commodore Slattery 147 Bullfry A creature of momentary panic 120 Bench & Bar Dinner 2010 150 Book reviews 85 Practice 122 Appointments Preparing and arguing an appeal The Hon Justice Pembroke 158 Crossword by Rapunzel The Hon Justice Ball The Federal Magistrates Court 159 Bar sports turns 10 The Hon Justice Nicholas The Lady Bradman Cup The Hon Justice Yates Life on the bench in Papua New The Great Bar Boat Race Guinea The Hon Justice Katzmann The Hon Justice Craig barTHE JOURNAL OF THE NSWnews BAR ASSOCIATION | WINTER 2010 Bar News Editorial Committee ISSN 0817-0002 Andrew Bell SC (editor) Views expressed by contributors to (c) 2010 New South Wales Bar Association Keith Chapple SC This work is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted Bar News are not necessarily those of under the Copyright Act 1968, and subsequent Mark Speakman SC the New South Wales Bar Association.
    [Show full text]
  • A P O Litica L Biography O F S Ir M Ich a El B Ru Xn Er
    A political biography of Sir Michael Bruxner t h e Australian Country Party is a small group that has achieved a political suc­ cess quite disproportionate to its size. T h at success, in the author’s opinion, is due largely to the quality of its leaders. The Colonel is the political biography of one of those leaders, Sir Michael Bruxner. Dr Aitkin presents Bruxner against the background of New South Wales politics between 1920 and 1960. He allows his subject’s words and deeds to speak for themselves: the reader watches the young Bruxner develop those qualities of leadership that distinguish him from his fellow actors on the poli­ tical stage, qualities that made him un­ challenged leader of his party for thirty years. This biography, one of a growing number of studies of notable Australians, is the story of a man of dignity, human­ ity, and unquestionable integrity that will appeal not only to political scientists interested in the problems of political leadership but also to the many, from city and country alike, interested in a distinguished man who served his coun­ try well in war and peace. Book designed by John Pitson Printed in Australia $A6.95 This book was published by ANU Press between 1965–1991. This republication is part of the digitisation project being carried out by Scholarly Information Services/Library and ANU Press. This project aims to make past scholarly works published by The Australian National University available to a global audience under its open-access policy. THE COLONEL M. F. Bruxner, 1927 THE COLONEL A Political Biography of Sir Michael Bruxner DON AITKIN CANBERRA AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY PRESS 1969 First published 1969 This book is copyright in all countries subscribing to the Berne Convention; reproduction, in whole or in part, without written permission of the publisher is forbidden Text set in lOpt on llpt Baskerville.
    [Show full text]
  • New South Wales Public Employment Services 1887-1942
    New South Wales Public Employment Services 1887-1942 Melissa Kerr A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, Work and Organisational Studies, University of Sydney Business School, Submitted in March 2012. 1 Declaration Statement of Originality This is to certify that to the best of my knowledge, the content of this thesis is my own work. This thesis has not been submitted for any degree or other purposes. I certify that the intellectual content of this thesis is the product of my own work and that all the assistance received in preparing this thesis and sources have been acknowledged. Melissa Kerr 2 Abstract Australian historical scholarship has traditionally neglected public employment services as an area of research. However, in recent years as the State has repositioned itself in the labour market the role of public employment services has become a popular area of debate. While contemporary scholars have contributed to these debates, their historical counterparts have been slower to follow suit. In overcoming this neglect, this thesis provides an historical examination of one of the earliest forms of state intervention into the Australian labour market: public employment services. This study examined the establishment and operations of public employment services in NSW from 1887 until 1942, when they were transferred across to the Federal Department of Labour and National Service, to comply with Commonwealth Wartime legislation. Within the Australian contemporary scholarship, public employment services have been conceptualised according to three dominant economic traditions: neo-classical economics, Keynesian economics and the writings of W.H.
    [Show full text]
  • The Origins and History of the Transport Workers' Union of Australia, 1883-1975
    University of Wollongong Research Online University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016 University of Wollongong Thesis Collections 1991 The origins and history of the Transport Workers' Union of Australia, 1883-1975 Bradley Bowden University of Wollongong Follow this and additional works at: https://ro.uow.edu.au/theses University of Wollongong Copyright Warning You may print or download ONE copy of this document for the purpose of your own research or study. The University does not authorise you to copy, communicate or otherwise make available electronically to any other person any copyright material contained on this site. You are reminded of the following: This work is copyright. Apart from any use permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part of this work may be reproduced by any process, nor may any other exclusive right be exercised, without the permission of the author. Copyright owners are entitled to take legal action against persons who infringe their copyright. A reproduction of material that is protected by copyright may be a copyright infringement. A court may impose penalties and award damages in relation to offences and infringements relating to copyright material. Higher penalties may apply, and higher damages may be awarded, for offences and infringements involving the conversion of material into digital or electronic form. Unless otherwise indicated, the views expressed in this thesis are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the University of Wollongong. Recommended Citation Bowden, Bradley, The origins and history of the Transport Workers' Union of Australia, 1883-1975, Doctor of Philosophy thesis, Department of History and Politics, University of Wollongong, 1991.
    [Show full text]
  • John Barilaro Inaugural Speech.Pdf
    Inaugural Speeches Inaugural Speeches Extract from NSW Legislative Assembly Hansard and Papers Thursday 2 June 2011. Mr JOHN BARILARO (Monaro) [12.01 p.m.] (Inaugural Speech): Mr Deputy-Speaker, congratulations on your election and also congratulations to the Hon. Shelley Hancock on being elected Speaker of the Fifty-fifth Parliament of New South Wales. It should be noted that the Coalition did not require affirmative action to appoint the State's first female Speaker. It is very humbling to make my first speech in this Chamber in the company of my parliamentary colleagues, my dearest friends, my hardworking campaign team and my loving family. When my parents, Domenico and Anna Maria Barilaro, arrived in Australia from Italy in 1968 they would never have imagined that one of their children would be standing in the oldest Parliament in Australia delivering his inaugural speech. I acknowledge their sacrifice and courage, heading to a foreign land with no family support and an unfamiliar language, but with a dream, hope and desire for a better life. Mum and dad, thank you. My parents are fundamental in my being in this Chamber today. My father, whom I admire, has always been my hero and, as a small boy, all I wanted was to be just like him. He is a hardworking and selfless man, who will always be characterised by his generous nature. My mother, who has always put the family first and is the foundation of the Barilaro clan, continues to support all her children in reaching their goals. They both instilled in me the value of family and community service and also their thirst for building a better life here in Australia.
    [Show full text]
  • An Administrative History of the New South Wales Treasury, 1824–1976
    A LANDSCAPE OF COMPLIANCE, CONFLICT AND INVENTION AN ADMINISTRATIVE HISTORY OF THE NEW SOUTH WALES TREASURY, 1824–1976 Roberta Ann Carew BA (UNSW), Dip. Arch. Admin. (UNSW), MA (Syd.), M.Lett (Syd.) A Thesis in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts (Research) School of History University of New South Wales 2008 ORIGINALITY STATEMENT I hereby declare that this submission is my own work and to the best of my knowledge it contains no materials previously published or written by another person, or substantial proportions of material which have been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma by UNSW or any other educational institution, except where due acknowledgment is made in the thesis. Any contribution made to the research by others, with whom I have worked at UNSW or elsewhere, is explicitly acknowledged in the thesis. I also declare that the intellectual content of this thesis is the product of my own work, except to the extent that assistance from others in the project’s design and conception or in style, presentation and linguistic expression is acknowledged. COPYRIGHT STATEMENT (a) I hereby grant to the University of New South Wales or its agents the right to archive and to make available my thesis in whole or part in the University libraries in all forms of media, now or hereafter known, subject to the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968. I retain all proprietary rights, such as patent rights. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis or dissertation.
    [Show full text]