Page 4102 - Week 15 - Thursday, 17 December 1992
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In fact, subsection 21(7) of the Australian Capital Territory Self-Government (Consequential Provisions) Act 1988, an Act of the Commonwealth Parliament, requires the Commonwealth and the Territory to consult with the Australian Council of Trade Unions, the Council of Professional Associations and any other organisation that the relevant Commonwealth Minister wishes to include in the consultations.
Secondly, I sought a one-off establishment grant from the Commonwealth to cover the cost of establishing a small task force to manage the transition to a separate Public Service. In subsequent correspondence at officer level, we sought an amount of $460,000 for this purpose.
Finally, Madam Speaker, the Commonwealth was asked to guarantee that the rights and entitlements of ACT Government employees would be protected. I did this to allay any concerns that our staff might have that moving to a separate Public Service might in some way diminish their terms and conditions. In particular, the Government was concerned to protect the existing right of our Public Service Act staff to advance their careers in the Australian Public Service by seeking transfer or promotion to Commonwealth departments in the normal way. While a separate ACT Public Service will, like the Australian Public Service, be a career service, Public Service Act staff working for the ACT make up less than 10 per cent of employees in the Australian Public Service, and to remove from these employees the right to apply for jobs in over 90 per cent of the Australian Public Service would reduce their career opportunities very substantially.
I might add at this point that mobility between public services is now on the national agenda. At last week's meeting of the Council of Australian Governments in Perth heads of government agreed to form a working party of officials to examine the possibility of allowing mobility between all the public services of Australia. This is a significant development in Australian public administration and one that is consistent with the approach we have taken in this area.
Since my response to the Commonwealth in late May there have been discussions and correspondence at both officer and ministerial level. Progress has not been rapid, but throughout the year I have kept in mind that we already have an excellent Government Service and that we should hasten slowly in seeking to improve it further.
Madam Speaker, I am pleased to report that our patience has paid off. The Prime Minister and I met earlier this month and have reached agreement on the issues that I raised last May. The Commonwealth agrees with the Territory that there should be full union involvement in moving to a separate ACT Public Service. Accordingly, Mr Berry will be writing to peak union bodies shortly to convene a meeting. The Commonwealth will be represented at ministerial level, probably by Senator Cook, who, in addition to his responsibilities for industrial relations, is the Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Public Service Matters. The Commonwealth has agreed to our request for an establishment grant of $460,000 in full. This will fund the establishment of a task force within the Office of Public Sector Management in my department to establish a separate ACT Public Service.
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