Psychologists — National Registration and Accreditation Scheme
HON ALISON XAMON (East Metropolitan) [10.01 am]: I present a petition containing 55 signatures and couched in the following terms —
To the President and Members of the Legislative Council of the Parliament of Western Australia in Parliament assembled.
We the undersigned residents of Western Australia are opposed —
The PRESIDENT: Order, members! There is too much audible conversation, and for some reason it seems to be a little difficult to hear from that part of the chamber, so will members give Hon Alison Xamon their attention, please.
Hon ALISON XAMON: Thank you, Mr President. I will continue —
We the undersigned residents of Western Australia are opposed to the recent decision of the Australian Health Workforce Ministerial Council not to endorse Community Psychology and Health Psychology as Specialist Practices under the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme. Both specialities are recognised world-wide as having an increasingly vital role in advancing positive health and well-being as well as in ameliorating mental health problems, and will be essential in reducing the increasing acute costs of health care as indicated in the Healthy Future for All Australians report (2009).
Your petitioners therefore respectfully request the Legislative Council to oppose the decision to restrict endorsement to seven of the nine specialisations represented by the nine well established specialist Colleges of the Australian Psychological Society, and to ensure that the scope of draft legislation in the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law (WA) Bill 2010 will include both Community and Health Psychology.
And your petitioners as in duty bound, will ever pray.
[See paper 2133.]