Page 3416 - Week 12 - Wednesday, 19 September 1990
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Briefly, the draft principles which I have outlined include a requirement to uphold constitutional government, uphold the law and the role of the law. The draft continues with the need to maintain honour and integrity in both public and personal relationships in order to merit the respect and confidence of the community. It includes requirements that members act in the public interest, disclose any personal interest and act with scrupulous honesty.
I do not believe that this motion is in any sense controversial. It is an attempt to get members, and, indeed, to get the public as well, to consider carefully the role and responsibilities of Assembly members. We must remember, in addition, that this Assembly represents to the community the public face of self-government, so we do have an obligation, I believe, to ensure that the community can have confidence in this Assembly and that that confidence will build their understanding and their respect for self-government.
Codes of ethics apply in many professions and, indeed, often very harsh penalties apply for infringement of such codes. It is not a completely new idea in the political sphere either. For example, in New South Wales, Mr Greiner has established a ministerial code of conduct - a very laudable action, in my view. Of course, it does sometimes appear that that code of conduct has been honoured more in the breach than in its observance; nevertheless, the New South Wales Government has recognised a need for standards to be set. And I believe that it is well and truly time that this Assembly also accepted that need and took action.
The motion provides for a process of public involvement in the development of a code of ethics and I believe it will be welcomed by a community which has had some cause to be concerned at the twists and turns taken by some members of this Assembly. I would urge all members to support the motion and, indeed, to play a part and to encourage others to play a part in the development of a code of ethics.
MR KAINE (Chief Minister) (10.37): Mr Speaker, there is no question that the issues raised in Ms Follett's motion deserve serious consideration by the house. I, for one, totally agree that the people of the ACT are entitled to the best possible representation and that they are entitled, in the Assembly, to the highest standards of integrity. However, I have some concerns about the elements of Ms Follett's motion, quite apart from any suspicion that some of us might have that this motion is just another example of the Opposition going over some of the same tired old issues that we have had raked up over the last year or so.
To be specific, I am concerned about whether this Assembly needs yet another standing committee; about the appropriateness of some of the mechanisms that Ms Follett envisages in this proposal; and, of course, the bottom line is that I am concerned about the resource implications and the impact that it will have on the Assembly's budget.
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