Page 622 - Week 02 - Thursday, 24 March 2022
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doing their job and increasing the integrity and transparency of the government and of the public service.
The government has stated that it will be providing a formal, detailed response to the A-G’s report into the Campbell Primary School modernisation project procurement in the April sittings, and I look forward to reading it. The response will include a copy of the review of Procurement ACT commissioned by the Head of Service in 2021 and details of further priorities for ongoing improvements to transparency, probity and accountability in ACT government procurement. Again, I look forward to seeing this response and allowing the already established processes to continue to completion. I, like many others here, also look forward to reading the Integrity Commissioner’s report on this matter when it is produced, but I also recognise that this will take time.
I think it is also important to acknowledge there are other oversight instruments in place. The public accounts committee, of which I am a member, has opened an inquiry into the Auditor-General’s report. I look forward to following the process and, with the outcome of the inquiry, reading the government’s response to the committee’s report. There is no doubt we need oversight and accountability, and it is happening. The Auditor-General has investigated and reported his findings. The public accounts committee is now inquiring. The Integrity Commission is also inquiring. These things take time to do properly. We need to be patient and let the public accounts committee and the Integrity Commission do their work.
The government’s amendments to the motion also lists steps taken by the government to strengthen and improve its procurement process. Is it perfect? Well, we will see when the public accounts committee and Integrity Commissioner report back. Then we will know if further work needs to be done or not. This government’s shared commitment to govern with integrity and transparency is written into our parliamentary and governing agreement. This motion is more interested in playing politics than following through with the oversight measures that are already in motion, using the tools that they have at their disposal. Therefore, let us not waste time duplicating the work that they are undertaking, and let them do their work.
Ms Lee and Mr Parton interjecting—
MR ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Mr Davis): Ms Lee and Mr Parton, one of your colleagues is seeking the call. I cannot get to him while you continue to interrupt.
MR CAIN (Ginninderra) (3.48): Unbelievable! The previous speaker said this motion was a waste of time. That is unbelievable. Shame on the non-executive part of this government! Unbelievable! Mr Braddock brought on a motion earlier today pointing out a way that the government might improve its processes—a very worthy motion, which we supported. Why bother, Mr Braddock? Is it only the small things that you are interested in? Unbelievable!
Mr Steel’s amendment would make a lot of sense in the following circumstance. It would make a lot of sense if there was not a damning Auditor-General’s report into a significant multimillion-dollar procurement. It would make sense if there was not an initiation by the Integrity Commissioner to look into all of ACT government’s
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