WESTERN AUSTRALIA Parliamentary Debates (HANSARD) THIRTY-FIFTH PARLIAMENT SECOND SESSION 1998 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY Tuesday, 27 October 1998 Legislative Assembly Tuesday, 27 October 1998 THE SPEAKER (Mr Strickland) took the Chair at 2.00 pm, and read prayers. BILLS - RETURNED 1. Fire and Emergency Services Authority of Western Australia Bill. 2. Fire and Emergency Services Authority of Western Australia (Consequential Provisions) Bill. Bills returned from the Council without amendment UNITED STATES SENATOR JOHN GLENN Statement by Premier MR COURT (Nedlands - Premier) [2.05 pm]: Many members would have memories of the night in early 1962 when the residents of Perth spontaneously turned on their lights in salute to the American astronaut John Glenn as he completed his three-orbit mission around the Earth on board his space capsule Friendship 7. It was an event in our State's history which attracted the attention of people from around the world and which saw our beautiful capital dubbed "the City of Lights". It was also an event that people thought would never be repeated. More than 38 years on, at the age of 77, United States Senator John Glenn will this week return to space on board the space shuttle Discovery. Senator Glenn's decision to return to space presents the people of Perth with a truly unique opportunity not only to repeat their gesture of 1962 but also to mark the second space mission of a man who has a special place in the hearts of many Western Australians. As I have already informed the House, a group of science teachers and science students from Western Australian schools will witness the launch of the Discovery, which is currently scheduled to take place on Thursday. I am pleased to say that earlier today science teachers Richard Rennie from the Presbyterian Ladies' College and June Gouldthorpe from Applecross Senior High School, along with year 11 students Clare Drake from Applecross Senior High School and Aaron Wyatt from Duncraig Senior High School, departed Perth on the first leg of their journey to Cape Canaveral in Florida. For each of the participants it will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be part of cutting edge space research. The visit will also foster a stronger relationship between Western Australia, the United States and the world's leading space program. As the launch date draws closer this week, I hope that the people of Perth will rekindle the enthusiasm which the residents of our city displayed in 1962 in preparations to turn on the lights for Senator John Glenn. For some time my office has been in contact with National Aeronautics and Space Administration officials to ensure that we have the most up-to-date information about when will be the best time for Perth to turn on its lights. At this stage it is anticipated that Senator Glenn will have the best view of Perth early on the morning of Saturday October 31, at 32 minutes past midnight. NASA has undertaken to advise the State Government and the people of Perth via local media outlets of any changes to that time. Despite the fact that Senator Glenn will be further north of Perth on that occasion and there is the possibility that his view from the Discovery may not be as good as it was from his spacecraft in 1962, the increase in the size of Perth and its buildings is expected to create an impressive display even for the most experienced astronauts on board the Discovery. The people of Perth will be able to monitor the reaction of those on board the Discovery, as NASA plans to broadcast live its voice communications with the crew. There is no doubt that as the people of Perth once again turn on their lights for John Glenn at the start of the weekend it will be an exciting and memorable occasion for our community. It will be an opportunity for all Western Australians to demonstrate their depth of spirit as a community and show people around the world why Perth is known as "the City of Lights". ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC COOPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE Statement by Minister for Works and Services MR BOARD (Murdoch - Minister for Works) [2.08 pm]: Last week I informed the House of the outcomes of the recent Australian Procurement and Construction Ministerial Council conference in Queensland which addressed electronic procurement issues across all Australian States. In my role as chair of the APCMC, I recently attended the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development Conference on e-commerce held in Ottawa, Canada. The role of the APCMC is to develop policies and a framework for the electronic procurement of government works and services as part of the wider issue of government services across the Internet, which is the focus of the online ministerial council. The OECD has decided to take a lead role and coordinate the growth of electronic commerce as a major evolution in world trade. The purpose of the conference was to assess and report on the status of e-commerce initiatives worldwide. Among the significant subjects addressed at the conference were issues of privacy, taxation, consumer protection and authentication. The conference identified four main objectives as essential to the growth of international e-commerce - 2658 [ASSEMBLY] building trust for users and consumers; establishing ground rules for the digital marketplace; maximising the benefits to both consumers and suppliers; and providing universal and affordable access to telecommunications infrastructure. In all of these areas, Australia is making good progress. In particular, Australia's self-regulated telecommunications initiatives were specifically recognised as a leading model for providing the required infrastructure. The conference agreed that there were important roles for both government and industry in providing these four keys to the growth of e-commerce. There is vigorous debate about the level of legislation and regulation that Governments should apply to this market. The need to balance industry self-regulation and government legislation is the clearest message of all to come from the conference. The Europeans tend to favour a broad raft of legislation to regulate the industry as soon as possible. The North Americans generally support industry self-regulation, which promotes innovative technical solutions, rather than government intervention. The view of Australian Governments falls between those two extremes - our general belief is that legal frameworks should be established only where necessary. They should promote a competitive environment and should be clear, consistent and predictable. There is a consensus that Australian Governments should utilise their roles as e-commerce users, particularly in procurement, to gauge the true extent of regulation required. The successful growth of e-commerce will depend upon the confidence of consumers and traders and this Government is committed to the constructive and proactive development of market confidence. The APCMC has taken a lead role in the development of e-commerce standards for government procurement activities and this will foster the confidence that the private sector is seeking. Therefore, I believe Australia and, in particular, Western Australia, will be well placed to take advantage of the enormous markets offered by electronic commerce. HEALTH PRACTITIONER LEGISLATION, REVIEW Statement by Minister for Health MR DAY (Darling Range - Minister for Health) [2.12 pm]: I am pleased to table a very important discussion paper which provides a framework for the comprehensive review of a number of health practitioner Acts in this State. A review of such legislation was started by the Health Department of Western Australia in 1987 to improve protection for health consumers, to satisfy the National Competition Policy review requirements and to provide health consumers with effective and as far as is possible, uniform legislation. It also recognises the significant contribution made by the members of registration boards by providing them with legislation that facilitates administrative efficiency and incorporates appropriate indemnities and protections. I should point out that the NCP obliges the State to review all legislation by 2000 and remove all anti- competitive provisions when they cannot be justified on public benefit and necessity grounds. Health practitioner legislation which has been subject to review includes the Chiropractors Act, the Dental Act, the Occupational Therapists Registration Act, the Optometrists Act, the Podiatrists Registration Act, the Pharmacy Act, the Physiotherapists Act, the Psychologists Registration Act, the Optical Dispensers Act, and the Osteopaths Act. The Medical Act will be the subject of a separate discussion paper. The review of the health practitioners legislation commenced some years ago on a collective basis. A model Bill was developed which, at the onset of the review process, was the chiropractors Bill. In 1997 the osteopaths legislation was accelerated and introduced into Parliament. With this initiative the model moved from the chiropractors Bill to the Osteopaths Act. All health practitioners are asked to interpret the Osteopaths Act 1997 as the template that will be used as a model for their own health professions, with relevant changes. The template legislation will be subject to NCP review and will be reformed if necessary. The terms of reference for the review of all health practitioner legislation are to - clarify the objective of the legislation; identify the nature of the restriction on competition; analyse the likely effect of the restriction on competition and on the economy generally; assess and balance the costs and benefits of the restriction; and consider the alternative means for achieving the same result, including non-legislative approaches. The Health Department will be holding a seminar soon for health practitioners and other interested parties to discuss the issues, implications and impact of the review - including the NCP review - on their professions. I strongly urged all interested parties to obtain a copy of the discussion paper "Review of the Western Australian Health Practitioner Legislation" from the Health Department of Western Australia or at its Internet address.