Page 2153 - Week 08 - Thursday, 10 September 1992
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Thursday, 10 September 1992
___________________________
MADAM SPEAKER (Ms McRae) took the chair at 10.30 am and read the prayer.
GOVERNMENT SERVICE - PROVISION OF INFORMATION TO
ASSEMBLY MEMBERS
Ministerial Statement and Papers
MS FOLLETT (Chief Minister and Treasurer): I seek leave of the Assembly to make a short statement in relation to a question asked of me by Mr Humphries in question time yesterday.
Leave granted.
MS FOLLETT: I thank members. Madam Speaker, in question time yesterday Mr Humphries asked me whether a directive had been issued to all ACT Government Service officers in relation to the provision of information to non-executive members of the Assembly. The answer I gave yesterday remains correct. No directive has been issued to all ACT Government Service officers on this matter.
However, Madam Speaker, to forestall opposition members from continuing to turn this particular molehill into a mountain, I would like to put the issue into perspective. The Government has reaffirmed the substance of the guidelines which had previously been circulated by the administration under successive ACT governments to assist officers in handling requests for information from members of the Legislative Assembly. These guidelines have as their cornerstone the principle that requests from members for information - other than of a readily available, routine, factual nature - should be pursued with Ministers. The guidelines also contemplate informing Ministers of requests for information.
I might also add that the guidelines adopted by the ACT Government Service reflect those guidelines that apply in the Commonwealth. Indeed, the Commonwealth guidelines are contained in an appendix to a handbook, "ACT Government Participation in Parliamentary and Other Inquiries", which was adopted by the Alliance Government. The Government's adoption of the substance of the guidelines has been communicated by various agencies to their staff. So, Madam Speaker, there is nothing untoward in the Government's position. We have simply picked up the guidelines which originated with the Commonwealth and which have been adapted for the ACT and publicised in the period of both the Alliance Government and my own.
Madam Speaker, I table the Commonwealth guidelines and the two minutes, dated March 1991 - that is in the period of the Alliance Government - and January 1992, which circulated the ACT version within the ACT Government Service.
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