Mr DEAN ( Windermere ) - I welcome these amendments and so will many other people, particularly three people whom I have been representing now, I think probably for the last 18 months, who made complaints in relation to a health authority. The complaints to which I refer in this instance were relatively simple complaints. There was nothing really complex about them at all, yet they have been under investigation and being inquired into, as I said, for about 18 months, and as yet are not resolved. What this has done is to cause an immense amount of harm to those victims. In this instance, they became whistleblowers - and that is another story - to such an extent that two of the victims are suffering severe stress and trauma, and there is medical evidence to support that, and one is now seeking damages. Whatever happens with the claim will conclude shortly, I would hope, because that matter was pushed forward last week through my support and the support of a solicitor. Unfortunately, one of those ladies has been on sick leave for some time and it is highly unlikely she will ever return to work. All of this is because of the dragging out of the complaints that were made in relation to these organisations.

I hope that this bill works because, if it does, it will cause those people and departments subject to this bill to treat complaints seriously and with the priority necessary. The complaints that were made were high-priority issues. I think at times some departments believe that the longer they draw out the investigations of complaints the less likely an adverse finding will be made and that perhaps people will forget about the matter. They very seldom consider the person making the complaint and that is most unfortunate because those people suffer immensely.

I want to reflect on the Police department. The Deputy Leader may well be aware of this. They introduced a system several years ago to speed up and expedite the investigation of complaints made in that organisation. I think that that also occurred because of a push from the Government, particularly where complaints were made through the ministers to those organisations. The ministers were wanting a speedy resolution to those matters so that they could then go back to the complainants. I was somewhat surprised that that did not find its way into these other organisations to ensure that those same sort of resolution times were necessary.
At the end of the day, as I said, I welcome these amendments. I wait now to see whether or not they will do what it is intended they should do. I hope that they do and I am quite sure that in this instance, had that been the case, the three ladies that I am currently assisting would not have found themselves in the quandary that they currently find themselves in. I support the bill.