Page 640 - Week 03 - Wednesday, 20 May 1992
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MS FOLLETT: I think it is indeed consistent with the answers that I have given to questions that Mr Kaine has asked of me on notice. I believe that he has had full details of those. It is fair to say that I have made extremely sparing use of consultancies.
The Leader of the Opposition has asked me specifically about my own staffing arrangements. I would like to respond by saying that I have had a review of the levels and the classifications of members of my staff. That review was conducted by the Office of Public Sector Management, and the arrangements that I have made are in line with that review. The review determined that the nature of the work in the Chief Minister's office requires, amongst other considerations, the exercise of very superior levels of judgment and a very high degree of accountability and responsibility. I think Mr Kaine, with his own experience in the position, would concede that that is the case. The positions are, as I say, assessed as having a high work value; and I would defy anybody here to deny that that is the case.
Madam Speaker, it is also the case, of course, that in overall terms I have not changed the numbers at all; I have had, if you like, a vacancy in my office for quite some time and that remains the case. Although I have attempted to fill it, I have not succeeded.
So, I think that overall, Madam Speaker, what I have done is well and truly justified. I do not believe that my staff are in any way excessive or overclassified. They are required to do very high level work, and they do that work. They are required to work very long hours, and they do work very long hours. Unlike their counterparts in the Federal Parliament, they do not receive the overtime allowances and so on that are common in other parliamentary offices. I believe that my office is a pretty lean arrangement and certainly a very efficient one.
MR KAINE: I ask a supplementary question, Madam Speaker. I take it from that answer, Chief Minister, that you confirm that you now have three officers of SES status on your staff and that they have cars, which previous officers of that status did not have. But, flowing from that, you did not answer the second part of my question. What is the increased cost to the Executive budget as a result of these staff increases and the perks that go with them?
MS FOLLETT: Madam Speaker, I will take the question of cost on notice, but I repeat that the staff of my office receive remuneration which I consider to be appropriate. If they receive any other considerations, then they are in keeping with the normal public service arrangements for their level.
Land Development
MS ELLIS: My question is directed to the Minister for the Environment, Land and Planning. Will the return of government to land development guarantee home buyers a reasonable opportunity of acquiring the block of land they want and selecting the builder of their choice? What benefits will flow from this policy?
Mr Moore: And what is the timetable of the policy?
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