Page 2250 - Week 09 - Tuesday, 15 September 1992
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Regional Community Councils
MS SZUTY: Madam Speaker, my question without notice is to the Chief Minister, Ms Follett. This ACT Government has stated that it prides itself on consultation with the community, but formal consultation networks with local communities are yet to be established. As members are probably aware, currently the ACT's network of regional community councils is being increased to five. Could the Chief Minister indicate how regional community councils can have input into decision making, and whether the ACT Government will accept them as having a formal role in the consultative process?
MS FOLLETT: Madam Speaker, I thank Ms Szuty for the question. As members will know, the Government has a commitment to greater consultation with the community and I have put forward a concept of community councils, community committees, which would provide a ready mechanism for such consultations to take place across a wide range of issues. The negotiations or consultations on the actual form of those councils or committees are at an early stage. I make no bones about that. Early discussions have been held. At the moment the exact nature of the bodies is quite some way from resolution.
I am aware, as Ms Szuty has pointed out, that the community councils that do exist have been making some moves towards adopting a role which they see as a more appropriate one, a role which would facilitate greater consultation. I have been encouraged by those moves because I believe that they indicate, as I have always felt, that there are a large number of people in the ACT community who are willing and able to take part in the decisions which affect their community.
Whilst I have carefully watched the activities of those community councils, at the moment I have not formed a view on how they might fit into the consultation framework that we put forward at election time. I have that matter still under review. I am more than pleased to hear from those organisations their views on the appropriate mechanisms to be adopted; but at the moment I am not in a position to be final or to be absolute about the processes that might be involved, because they are simply not resolved and they are quite some way from being resolved at the moment.
Canberra Times - Police Investigation
MR DE DOMENICO: Madam Speaker, my question without notice is to the Attorney-General and police Minister, Mr Connolly, and it refers to the witch-hunts last week at the Canberra Times and the police moving into the Assembly. I ask the Attorney-General: At what cost were last week's paranoid witch-hunts to the ACT Australian Federal Police budget? If no costings have been made, will the Minister give an undertaking to let the Assembly know the cost to the AFP budget of last week's paranoid witch-hunts?
MR CONNOLLY: Madam Speaker, as there were no paranoid witch-hunts, the question is pointless. If Mr De Domenico, trying desperately to drag one last little headline out of this exercise, wants me to find out what it cost the ACT police budget for the ordinary employment of, as I understand it, two police officers for a couple of hours, I will do that. I will also find out what it cost to make the inquiries to find out the cost of a couple of police officers going about their ordinary duties for a couple of hours.
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