Page 27 - Week 01 - Tuesday, 22 February 1994
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I think there is a stark contrast, as I said at the start, with the Opposition's record and the Opposition's agenda. What do we know of their proposals for reform? What did we hear from Mr Kaine? Not a cracker. Not a word. Empty rhetoric. Madam Speaker, all they have done is sit on the sidelines, criticising, and, even then, all too often they get it wrong. They say that we have been too slow, without any appreciation of the complexity and breadth of the issues that are being dealt with and the reforms that are being made.
Mr Berry: Next they will say that we have gone too fast.
MS FOLLETT: Yes. They take no account of the fact that I would not give the green light to the separate service until I had personally obtained assurances from the Prime Minister on certain preconditions, most notably continued mobility with the Australian Public Service. That was just over 12 months ago, and we are still working towards 1 July as the start-up date. I believe that 18 months is a very short timeframe for such a major change. To say, as they have said, at least in one of the press releases but not both of them, that there is no political direction is just ludicrous. Our agenda, particularly on matters such as equity and accountability, has been clear all along. This was remarkably lacking in anything said by the Opposition. It was clear in our statements before the last election, for example, Madam Speaker, and, as people know, we are a Government that believes in consultation. Just because we give interested parties a say in reform, and because we act on their suggestions where it is sensible to do so, that does not mean that we lack political direction. Do we lack political direction, Madam Speaker, because we consulted the community on the values and the principles of our new service and then reflected the views of the community in that Bill? The suggestion coming from the Opposition is absurd.
Madam Speaker, I would like to throw down the gauntlet to the Opposition. As I have said before, where is your agenda for reform? We have heard from Mr Kaine about how he would like to cut down the numbers in the public service - 3,000 jobs to go. That is not a reform, Madam Speaker. I do not believe that it is a reform, but at least it is a concrete suggestion that we have had from Mr Kaine. All we have heard from Mrs Carnell, after she had elbowed Mr Kaine aside, got Trevor off the radio and given a burst herself, was that she would - I think this was what she was saying - contract out a lot of things.
Ms Ellis: Absolutely. It was the message that I got.
MS FOLLETT: Members agree with me that that was the message that Mrs Carnell was attempting to convey. Madam Speaker, that is not reform either. If the members opposite want to make a valuable or realistic contribution to this debate they have to come up with an idea or two, and so far they have not. So far all they have done is snipe from the sidelines. It is the Government, of course, which has got on with the job and, as is usual, is doing the job in consultation. In particular, with the public service Bill, we will be doing that job in the best interests of our own employees as well as the best interests of this community generally.
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