Page 5334 - Week 17 - Thursday, 13 December 1990
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Before any of you opposite or anybody else seeks to suggest that I am casting aspersions on the ACT Government Service, let me say that, with the advent of self-government and changed administrative orders after September 1989, their energies were better used on other tasks. Also, a group independent of the ACT Government Service using outside consultants would, in fact, provide a report which could be seen as independent from that service, especially as the executive officer for the inquiry was an outside appointment. This approach was accepted at paragraph 2.5 of the report.
Ms Follett has already made some comments in relation to the availability to the committee of information in relation to the PRB inquiry. I will not comment further on that. In relation to membership, I acknowledge that it was the Chief Minister's decision to decide who, in fact, should be on the board; but I think it was appropriate to make a comment in relation to wider representation which may have assisted the board on a couple of occasions. Ms Follett has commented, once again, on the use of consultants.
One other aspect related to the cost of the ACT officials in paragraph 3.10 of the report. The committee considered that that cost should have, in fact, been included as part of the overall costing just to make sure that we knew exactly how much the total cost was for that particular report. Clearly, formal guidelines are needed for the employment of consultants. I think the committee also suggested, in one of its further recommendations, that the matter of consultancies was an important aspect for the Public Accounts Committee to look at and that it would be important for that to be monitored over a period of time.
In closing my remarks, once again, I would like to pay tribute to the members of the committee staff who have always provided sterling service. I note, in particular, that for one of those officials it was the first major report that she had total involvement with. I would like to welcome her to the team on that basis. The report, as the members will see, provides an assessment, if you like, of the Priorities Review Board process, seeking to provide guidelines for the future preparation of such reports. I think it is an appropriate process to be provided and operated on by the Public Accounts Committee.
Debate (on motion by Mr Kaine) adjourned.
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