Page 4240 - Week 15 - Tuesday, 20 November 1990
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
clear guiding principles which will form the basis for reviews of a range of functional areas with the fundamental objective of improving the existing system for delivery of programs and services in the interests of our citizens. Significantly, it was also agreed that where, as a result of these reviews, one level of government takes over administrative responsibilities from another it will be fully and fairly compensated financially.
Among the functions to be given priority in this examination of duplication are the home and community care program and the areas of health, aged care, housing, training and labour market programs, child care and the supported accommodation assistance program, all of which are of great significance to us here in the ACT. Significantly for the ACT, it was also agreed that functional areas for review will include consideration of State-type functions in respect of the Territory still retained by the Commonwealth. As an example, the existence of two planning authorities for the ACT is a matter which clearly should be examined in this context.
The question of legislation controls and other functions retained by the Commonwealth which extend beyond its normal relationships with the States is also raised. After all, central to the question of duplication and efficiency generally is the appropriateness of the level of government at which responsibility for a function or power is located. I can assure the Assembly that the Government will be giving particular attention to this aspect of the review. The right of the ACT to determine its own electoral system, to have effective control over and ensure efficiency in the planning of the Territory and to decide how many Ministers we have in our Executive are all important issues in this context.
It was encouraging to see the emphasis given by the Premiers Conference to cooperative approaches between governments to achieve more effective delivery of services and programs, because this is an area in which the Alliance Government has already made considerable efforts. The ACT had, of course, already recognised the necessity of close and productive working relationships between the three levels of government and has given high priority to fostering these relationships in a number of ways. For example, the ACT is working jointly with the New South Wales Government in preparing a strategy for regional economic development in close consultation with the surrounding local governments. In the context of the New South Wales-ACT consultative forum, considerable efforts are being made to systematically address, in a cooperative way, issues of significant concern to the subregion, such as planning, roads and extractive industries.
Similarly, in a key aspect of micro-economic reform addressed by the Premiers Conference, specifically regulatory reform, we have also been seeking to recognise our unique relationship with New South Wales through the
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .