Page 13 - Week 01 - Thursday, 11 May 1989
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The principles of my government are to develop a community based on social justice and economic security; a community which provides for the broadest possible individual liberty in terms of freedom of speech, education, assembly, organisation and religion; a compassionate, tolerant community which recognises and rejoices in our diversity.
I have committed the Labor Party to operating an open and accountable government which is responsive to community priorities and accessible to the people. We will establish new consultative mechanisms and reinforce existing mechanisms. Planning decisions will be open to public scrutiny through the establishment of a planning committee in the Assembly. The committee will be responsible for holding regular public meetings on planning. Broad community views will also be sought on all major issues such as economic development, housing, health and education policy.
We will endeavour to establish structures within the Assembly to allow for both the Assembly and the community to participate fully in policy deliberations. Most importantly, I will establish a public accounts committee of the Assembly which will oversee Executive expenditures. We will also legislate to establish an audit office which will operate independently of the executive government.
As a matter of urgency I will introduce a requirement for all Assembly members to declare their personal financial and business interests. The highest standards of honesty and accountability will be demanded from all elected representatives.
As I have made clear during and since the election campaign, my government will extend the concept of openness as far as possible. The budget processes themselves will be open to public scrutiny and participation. This will be achieved through broad community involvement on the economic planning body to be established and by releasing for public comment the draft budget framework well before any final decisions are made.
I am committed to running an efficient administration in the Australian Capital Territory. While there are areas where there is a need for increased outlay, most of this can be financed by changing priorities.
We will be undertaking a comprehensive review of the ACT revenue base with the aim of increasing the efficiency of revenue collection. The need for reform in the areas of betterment charges and payroll taxation have already been flagged.
The economic policies my government will be pursuing will have one objective - the creation of a choice of meaningful jobs for all Canberrans. To achieve this the ACT's industry base must be broadened. This means ensuring strong and controlled growth of private and community sector employment.
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