Page 35 - Week 01 - Tuesday, 22 February 1994
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
Really, that is the basis of the public service in this country. It is the reason why it has worked so well on behalf of the community for so long. Yet the Chief Minister, in one speech, attempts to undo what has been a very appropriate tradition in this country. This particular forum was to welcome new graduates - - -
Mr Berry: And warn them.
MRS CARNELL: Exactly. That just shows the attitude. It was to welcome new public servants into the ACT, into our service, or what will be our service from the middle of this year. To use that forum to attack the Opposition is just so inappropriate that it is unbelievable. Was it the only forum in which the Chief Minister believed she could get away with it? Was it because these new public servants, at this stage in their lives, are not going to disagree with the boss, shall we say? It is very interesting that the Chief Minister is using forums like this to indoctrinate new public servants.
Ms Follett: Oh, wake up!
MRS CARNELL: If the Chief Minister perceives this to be an appropriate forum for such things, I am very pleased for her to give us equal time.
Ms Follett: I gave you a lot of time in my speech.
MRS CARNELL: Give us equal time in front of the same forum. Surely, the job of the Chief Minister - - -
Mr De Domenico: She did not even invite us to the function.
MRS CARNELL: We do not even have a copy of the speech. Obviously, what that forum should have done was encourage our new public servants to be proud of the public service that they are going into; to believe that we - that means this whole Assembly - are all about making this public service a better place and making Canberra a better place. Obviously it was a totally inappropriate approach, just as the Chief Minister's comments on micro-economic reform were inappropriate. Up to date Ms Follett's Government has not even determined which services should be provided by the public service. It has not done any work in that area, as Mr Kaine said.
Ms Follett: Which ones would you leave out? What do you want to leave out?
MRS CARNELL: The first thing we would do, Ms Follett, is to do a review to determine which services should be provided. We should be deciding at what level these services should be provided. We should be deciding who should get the services. We should be determining how these services should be provided. This sort of approach - - -
Mr Kaine: Like 504 beds in our public hospital.
MRS CARNELL: That is obviously a very appropriate service.
Mr De Domenico: Ask what service Mr Connolly would leave out if it is not run properly.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .