Are there systems in existence in the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory adequate to allow comprehensive reporting of cases of the 'battered child syndrome'; if not, what changes of procedure are planned to make the system of reporting more adequate.

No systems for comprehensive reporting of cases exist. Experience with notification of infectious disease suggests that if the syndrome were to be made notifiable there would be under-reporting to such an extent that few sufferers would benefit. One feasible alternative might be to adapt medical record linkage systems, once established, to alert the authorities to cases of repeated injury to the same child or to siblings. All cases would then be identifiable,' however, the medico-legal problems inherent in this proposal have yet to be overcome.