Maurice Hayes (Independent)

I support Senator Henry's amendments and I hope the Minister will be able to accept them. During the passage of the Mental Health Act, we spent considerable time fashioning the definition of mental disorder, which meets the requirements of modern practitioners. There is no point in reinventing the wheel if it can be done by cross-referencing to an existing definition. I suggest it would be more convenient for the expert witnesses called to the courts to deal with these matters in terms to which they are accustomed. Like Senator Henry, I believe it would be gracious to use the term "mental disorder" rather than "insanity" in the Title. At least the Minister has saved us from "lunacy". However there is a slightly derogatory overtone in the term "insanity".