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State Matters

Organ Donor Awareness Week

Australian Organ Donor Awareness Week 2 is February 22-28. The Week aims to increase awareness of the need for organ and tissue donors, encourages people to 'sign on to save a life' by joining the Australian Organ Donor Register, and highlights the importance of talking to your family about their intentions regarding organ and tissue donation.

Currently there are more than 1800 Australian waiting heart, liver, lungs, kidneys and pancreas organ donations, as well many others awaiting tissue donations of corneas, skin, bone and heart valves. Surprisingly, Australia has one of the lowest organ donation rates in the world.

During Organ Donor Awareness Week all Australians are being asked to discuss the issue with their family and consider registration. The Australian Organ Donor Register can be contacted on 1800 777 203. Registration forms are also available from Medicare offices or on-line at www.hic.gov.au/organ

Seniors Week Concert

Seniors wishing to attend the Premier's Seniors Week Gala Concert at the Sydney Entertainment Centre on Friday, March 19 at 10.30am and 2.30pm have until this Friday, February 20, to register with my office.

Residents of the Ballina electorate who have previously attended, report that the concert is a very enjoyable experience. Tickets are essential and usually run out quickly.

Health Travel Scheme

My colleagues and I recently called on the State Government to extend the NSW Isolated Patients' Travel and Accommodation Assistance Scheme (IPTAAS) to allow more patients to access the Scheme.

Currently, to qualify for financial assistance in NSW, cancer patients must travel in excess of 200 kilometres one way for treatment, whereas in South Australia and Victoria, the distance is 100 kilometres, and in Queensland it is 50 kilometres. These distance criteria are the toughest in Australia.

Unfortunately, the cut-off point for the IPTAAS Scheme currently bisects the Ballina electorate. This means some local residents can receive reimbursement for health-associated travel to South-East Queensland whilst others cannot. I am urging the State Government to extend the scheme so Far North Coast patients, and in particular those receiving cancer and other specialist treatment are not disadvantaged.

Residents supporting the proposal can sign a petition calling on the Carr Labor Government to review the criterion regional cancer patients have to meet to access financial assistance under the IPTAAS scheme. IPTAAS provides assistance for patients for transport costs and accommodation.

The petition also calls on the Government to give patients the chance to choose their own specialist. Patients are currently required to see only their nearest treating specialist. Unfortunately this not only restricts patients' access to the best available treatment but also fails to take into account that the waiting times for the nearest specialist may be very long.

The current conditions impose an unfair burden on rural and regional cancer who are detrimentally affected by waiting times, varying quality of care and an inability to participate in clinical trials. Ready access to medical specialists at a time of need is taken for granted in the city and it shouldn't be any different in the country. It is inequitable that in NSW, country and coastal cancer patients are made to jump through unrealistic hoops to access help under IPTAAS.

I can be contacted by writing to PO Box 1018, Ballina 2478 or by telephoning my Electorate Office on 6686 7522 or faxing 6686 7470. For those on-line my e-mail address is Don.Page@parliament.nsw.gov.au

Thomas George
Canberra Connection

Parliament resumed this week for 2004 and will sit until Easter.

NSW Health Complaints

The General Purpose Standing Committee No. 2 (Legislative Council Committee) is currently inquiring into and reporting upon the complaints handling procedures within NSW Health, and in particular:

• the culture of learning and the willingness to share information about errors and the failure of systems, and

• an assessment of whether the system encourages open and active discussion and improvement in clinical care.

The closing date for submissions is 28 February and should be sent to the Committee Manager, General Purpose Standing Committee No. 2, Parliament House, Macquarie Street, SYDNEY 2000 or gpsco2@parliament.nsw.gov.au.

Rex grows

My congratulations go to Rex airlines following the announcement that all weekday flights between Lismore and Sydney will be direct services. This increase is a result of joint promotions between Rex and Lismore City Council. My appreciation also goes to the community in supporting its local airport as this has been reflected in Rex's decision.

Tick board elections

The Electoral Commissioner, as Returning Officer, is to conduct elections for six members of the Board of Tick Control. Nominations are invited for the position of representatives of owners of stock from each district (Bangalow, Casino, Kyogle, Lismore, Tweed & West of Richmond Range). A person has the prescribed qualifications to stand as a candidate or nominate a candidate if:

• on the date fixed for the close of nominations (March 2) or at any time during the 12 months before that date, the person owned cattle kept within the electoral district to which the elections relates; and

• at any time during the 18 months before the date the person paid an animal health rate levied on the person under the Rural Lands Protection Act 1989 in respect of cattle kept within the electorate district to which the election relates.

Nomination forms and Statutory Declarations in Support of Candidature may be obtained from the Board of Tick Control, Wollongbar; Cattle Tick Control Office, Woodenbong & Kyogle; Tweed/Lismore Rural Lands Protection Board, Lismore; Court House, Ballina; Rural Lands Protection Board, Casino.

Completed nomination forms and statutory declarations in support of candidature must be lodged with the Returning Officer, State Electoral Office no later than noon, Tuesday, March 2.

Dispute Resolution inquiry

The Committee on the Health Care Complaints Commission is conducting an Inquiry into Alternative Dispute Resolution of health care complaints in NSW. Terms of Reference include:

• the role, functions and operations of the Health Conciliation Registry;

• whether the Health conciliation Registry has adequate powers under Part 6 of the Health Care Complaints Act 1993 (NSW) to perform its functions;

• the role of the Patient Support Office in mediating and conciliating complaints;

• other appropriate methods of resolving health care complaints other than investigation;

• any other relevant matters.

Submissions close on 1 March 2004 and should be addressed to the Committee Manager, Committee on the Health Care Complaints Commission, Parliament House, Macquarie Street, SYDNEY NSW 2000.

Justice Legislation review

The Justice Legislation Amendment (Non-association and Place Restriction) Act 2001 commenced in July 2002 and is being monitored by the Ombudsman for two years. The Act amends various Acts relating to sentencing, bail and sentence administration. When sentencing an offender for an offence punishable by six months imprisonment or more, a court may make a 'non-association order', prohibiting the offender from associating with specified person(s). The court may also make a 'place restriction order', prohibiting the offender from visiting a specified place or district.

The court is only to make such orders if it is satisfied that it is reasonably necessary to do so to ensure the offender does not commit any further offences. Copies of the discussion paper are available from my office.

Submissions close March 1 and should be sent to the NSW Ombudsman, Level 24, 580 George Street, Sydney 2000 or nswombo@ ombo.nsw.gov.au

Clean Up Australia

Clean Up Australia Day is on Sunday, March 7. Anyone can organise a Clean Up site. It's as easy as identifying a local park, the street you live in, a waterway or bushland that needs to be cleaned up.

To register your site visit www.cleanup.com.au or phone 1800 024 890 and you will be sent a free Clean Up Kit. Business Clean Up Day is Tuesday, March 2 and Schools Clean Up Day is Friday, March 5.

Unfair Contracts paper

The Standing Committee of Officials of Consumer Affairs (SCOCA) has released a national discussion paper on the issue of unfair contract terms. This paper is asking for community feedback from consumers and business about the need for regulation of unfair contract terms.

The discussion paper identifies unfair contract terms as being those terms in a contract which are to the disadvantage of one party (usually the purchaser of goods or services) but which are not reasonably necessary for the protection of the legitimate interests of the other party (usually the supplier).

Standard form contracts, in particular, are of concern because of their non-negotiated character.

Submissions close March 5 and should be directed to Unfair Contract Terms Project, Office of Fair Trading, GPO Box 3111, BRISBANE QLD 4001 or uct_submissions@dtrft.qld.gov.au

I welcome and invite your feedback in relation to any of the above matters, please do not hesitate to contact my office regarding any matters on (ph) 6621 3624, (f) 6622 1403, by writing to PO Box 52 Lismore, e-mail; thomas.george@parliament.nsw.gov.au or www.thomasgeorge.com.au