Page 30 - Week 01 - Tuesday, 22 February 1994
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Mr Lamont: If you want to give me 30 seconds I will find it for you and quote it to you verbatim.
MR DE DOMENICO: No, no; come on! What is your point of order? There is no point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker.
Mr Lamont: Mr Deputy Speaker, it is a requirement, when addressing a matter of public importance, that the speaker maintain relevance to it. For Mr De Domenico's edification, the subject is "the failure of the Follett Government to provide direction on the establishment of the new ACT Government Service".
MR DEPUTY SPEAKER: Yes, I would accept that. However, you did leave out the first five words, "Lost opportunities for public benefit", Mr Lamont. I am sure, though, that Mr De Domenico will get back to the topic under debate at the moment.
MR DE DOMENICO: Mr Deputy Speaker, whilst I have been on the point, I will reiterate. If Mr Lamont wants me to concentrate on the words "ACT public service", I will. I recall one fine day in May 1992 when Ms Szuty and I were in Brisbane on the PDI Committee or the Tourism Committee. May 1992 was when the Prime Minister, Mr Keating, wrote to the Chief Minister, Ms Follett, and said, "Hey, listen, we now give you advice that we want you to establish your own public service". Two years later, have we seen legislation? No. Have we seen any direction from the Government? No. Have we seen any political vision from the Government? Have we seen any move by the Government to change the current structure of the ACT public service? Have we seen any indication that the Government may want in the future to change the structure of the ACT public service? Absolutely not. Have we seen any inclination by this Government to encapsulate modern industrial relations and enterprise bargaining concepts? The answer is no. The Chief Minister did mention, in some cliche, that she intended to open up the industrial relations situation. Industrial relations, I dare say for members opposite, is the crux of the establishment of the ACT public service.
Let us have a look at the industrial relations scenario. We will never forget last Easter, by the way, when there was an attempt at proper enterprise bargaining by ACTEW workers, with the permission of the management and with the signed permission of the Minister, Mr Connolly, who said, "Here is an opportunity, a wonderful opportunity, for public benefit". Minister Connolly signed it off, only to be scuttled at the door of the Industrial Relations Commission by whom? By Mr Berry; the very person to whom Ms Follett has given the responsibility of negotiating industrial relations for the establishment of an ACT public service.
Mr Kaine: Did he have Helga with him?
MR DE DOMENICO: I do not know who he had with him, but guess who won. It was not Mr Connolly who won. It was not the public benefit that won. It was Mr Berry. Mr Berry had his way. Interestingly enough, the Transport Workers Union are not criticising Mr Connolly. They are criticising once again, believe it or not, the lack of action by Mr Berry and Ms Follett.
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