Page 5459 - Week 17 - Tuesday, 3 December 1991
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I have to take a different view from Mr Collaery and say that, in the decision making process, yes, it is an Executive responsibility; but, when it comes to issuing an instrument to appoint such a person, I really think that it is the responsibility of a Minister.
MR WOOD (Minister for Education and the Arts and Minister for the Environment, Land and Planning) (6.55): Mr Speaker, I simply want to reaffirm what I said before and give you a practical example. Very soon the Government will be deciding who the next Chief Planner of the ACT is. It has been a six-month process finding that person. The appointment will be announced within a week or two. You would well understand that the Cabinet will consider that. A position at that level is one for the Cabinet. But, after the Cabinet has made its decision, the Minister will execute that decision, just as Mr Kaine says.
Amendments negatived.
MR MOORE (6.56): Mr Speaker, it will not take long to do this one, because there is agreement. I move:
Page 20, line 4, add the following subclause:
"(5) In the performance of his or her functions and the exercise of his or her powers the Chief Planner is directly responsible to the Minister.".
Mr Speaker, I believe that this is quite self-evident. It has been agreed by the Government. I think it is an appropriate way to go. It recognises the sorts of things that were debated a short while ago about the importance of the Chief Planner in our system. It ensures that the Chief Planner has direct access to the Minister and is not responsible through tiers of public servants.
Planning within this Territory will be recognised as an important function, at least equal to other functions that may come through other areas of the public service. The decision is not made by a series of public servants who have watered down an approach, but is the result of an approach directly made by the Chief Planner to the Minister. I think that in some ways it formalises a system that is already well under way.
MR WOOD (Minister for Education and the Arts and Minister for the Environment, Land and Planning) (6.57): Mr Speaker, in one respect Mr Moore's amendment annoys me. We agree to it, let me emphasise most clearly; but I can tell you that the Labor Party, in its deliberations on policy leading up to the next election, was working to where we would be incorporating this as one of the planks of our policy. So, you have taken our thunder a little, Mr Moore. We certainly agree with this. We think that that level of independence is a principle worth having. I need say no more. This will pass.
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