Page 393 - Week 02 - Wednesday, 21 February 1990
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easy for those opposite to say that they want to participate in the committees, but they are not prepared to say how they are prepared to participate. Mr Wood has been an exemplary member of committees. I have served on a number of select and standing committees with Mr Wood and I appreciate, as all members do, the effort that he puts into his committee work. It is a bit unfortunate that the four other members of the Opposition are not now prepared to participate in the same bipartisan manner.
MR MOORE (11.52): I think this is a very sensible amendment which complements Mr Collaery's amendment very well. Mr Collaery's amendment says:
... this Assembly notes current working party negotiations with the Federal Government concerning the need to finalise arrangements ...
and this amendment is really a method of finalising those arrangements. As such it is a complementary amendment that will be seen to be bipartisan.
The arrangements involving negotiations with public servants, which are being organised at the moment and to which Mr Jensen has just referred, are a very important part of that, but the crunch is that they will fill a public service role, a bureaucratic role. No doubt they will fulfil the role extremely well, but our responsibility is much broader. That responsibility is to ensure that as the elected representatives of the people of the ACT, we are sure that the arrangements that are in the process of being organised are suitable to the people of the ACT.
Therefore, I think that it is quite logical and rational to ask a select committee to look at this, especially as the Social Policy Committee, which Mr Jensen has suggested, is overwhelmed by work and has been almost from its inception. To actually establish a select committee with a particular role will ensure that this work is done quickly and efficiently, because I believe that whilst it must be done well it should also be done fairly rapidly because of the time involved.
If we are looking at mid 1990, then obviously the work of this committee would need to start with the work of the public servants and then proceed from there to ensure that the ideas of other people - and Mr Berry referred to members of the Police Association and others - are taken into account. It is quite appropriate that this amendment from Mr Berry follows the amendment that has been moved by Mr Collaery. That is an appropriate and bipartisan approach to the question of policing.
If we support this, then we will be seen by the people of Canberra to have a responsible attitude and to have involved the whole Assembly. The recommendations can then be made to the Assembly and the Government can make its decision on how best to implement them and use them. I
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