Page 2003 - Week 07 - Thursday, 17 June 1993

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(d) the opportunity of establishing a highly professional, innovative, flexible and cost effective public service for the benefit of the ACT community requires input from all interested parties;

(2) appoints a Select Committee to inquire into and report on the establishment of an ACT Public Service;

(3) the Committee shall consist of 5 members (two government, two opposition and one independent to be appointed by resolution of the Assembly);

(4) the Committee be provided with the necessary staff, facilities and resources;

(5) the Committee shall report by 31 January 1995;

(6) if the Assembly is not sitting when the Committee has completed consideration of its report the Committee may transmit its report to the Speaker or, in the absence of the Speaker, to the Deputy Speaker, who is authorised to give directions for its printing and circulation; and

(7) the foregoing provisions of this resolution, so far as they are inconsistent with the standing orders, have effect notwithstanding anything contained in the standing orders.

I believe that the formation of a separate ACT public service is perhaps the most important issue that is going to be faced by this Assembly and perhaps assemblies after this one. The proposal to establish a separate ACT public service needs to take into account, for example, the financial obligations of the Commonwealth Government, the terms and conditions of employment of current Commonwealth officers and the future entitlements of current employees and future employees of any future ACT public service. The importance of open, detailed and full public consultation on this matter must be recognised. I think that all parties in this Assembly do recognise the importance of that. Also, the opportunity of establishing a highly professional, innovative, flexible and cost-effective public service for the benefit of the ACT community requires input from all interested parties.

I believe that when people really scratch their heads and think about this issue properly they will agree that it is not appropriate for the Government, a minority government, to do everything it can in advance, come to this Assembly with a piece of legislation which is going to be, as I said, one of the most important pieces of legislation that we are going to debate, and then expect it to be passed within a certain timeframe without the Assembly having had a proper look at what has gone on in the past and participating step by step whilst these important initiatives were taking place.

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