Page 142 - Week 01 - Thursday, 9 April 1992
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employment matters, appropriate action is taken to eliminate unjustified discrimination against women and persons in designated groups. It will require the examination, identification and elimination of discriminatory employment practices. It is also to involve measures that will enable employees who are women or persons in designated groups to compete for transfer and to pursue careers within the relevant authority as effectively as any other person and to have equal opportunity with them in relation to all other employment matters.
This program is to be in writing and regularly reviewed by the management of the authority, which is accountable to the Head of Administration for carrying out the program. The Head of Administration may issue guidelines on its provisions. An annual report is to be made to the Minister responsible for the authority concerned.
Madam Speaker, again I wish to make it clear that measures adopted by the smaller authorities in establishing equal employment opportunity programs will not have to be as extensive or complex as those of the larger authorities. Also, EEO plans may be adapted to the particular nature and needs of the authority involved. Details can also be dealt with in the guidelines as established by the Head of Administration.
Amendments to the Fire Brigade (Administration) Act have proved to be more complex than those relating to other statutory authorities because of the need to remove outdated provisions concerning, for example, promotions made on the basis of seniority. The Fire Commissioner may publish in the Gazette such matters as the requirements for appointment as a member of the brigade or for promotion to a higher rank, including relevant academic requirements. The manner of determining the order of selection, which according to the Bill is to be based on merit, may also be published.
The Fire Brigade (Administration) (Amendment) Bill will give the Fire Commissioner discretion to promote a firefighter, subject to appeal to a committee convened by the Commonwealth Merit Protection and Review Agency. Before promoting a member, the commissioner must publish in the Gazette an invitation for members to apply for promotion, and the promotion must be within six months of this publication. Applicants are to be ranked in order of relative efficiency for the rank and appointment given to the member, or in the case of multiple promotions those members, ranked the most efficient of the applicants.
The Bill also establishes the meaning of "efficient", and I note that this is couched in the same terms as those establishing what is meant by "merit". Alternatively to promoting at his or her discretion, the commissioner may promote a member in accordance with recommendations by a joint selection committee convened by a nominee of the Minister. Other members of the joint selection committee will be a person nominated by the Fire Commissioner and one by the union. Similar requirements for the publication of an invitation to apply for promotion, the carrying out of the promotion within six months of publication and the ranking of applicants according to efficiency apply to promotion based on a joint selection committee recommendation.
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