Page 1405 - Week 05 - Wednesday, 11 May 1994
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Madam Speaker, I think it is acknowledged that we have two pieces of competing legislation and it is appropriate that these pieces of legislation be dealt with as a single entity. It is, in my view, an appropriate way to attempt to arrive at one provision relating to whistleblower functions, activities and responsibilities. If we are not able to arrive at that position, so be it; but I think that is an appropriate course of action in the first place.
Referring it to the committee will do a number of other things. Mr De Domenico will be disabused of some of the misconceptions apparent in his address to the Assembly this morning. He will be shown, amongst other things, that, irrespective of this legislation applying inside or outside the ACT public service, it will not apply to the Commonwealth Public Service. If he understood what was being proposed by the Public Sector Management Bill in the ACT, he would know that it will apply to authorities under the control of the ACT. In those circumstances, the lines that have been run by some members of the Opposition will be able to be more closely examined than in a 20-minute speech here today.
What the motion proposes procedurally is that this matter, in terms of the agreement in principle, come back at the same time that we are debating the Public Sector Management Bill. It is appropriate that that occur. I think the process we are endeavouring to implement is quite clear. The committee will be able to disabuse Mr De Domenico of his belief about Cabinet documents and the provisions of the Crimes Act which apply to the - - -
Mr De Domenico: I did not say anything about that.
MR LAMONT: You did. You referred to some other matters about the Canberra Times and the police and that sort of thing. You do not understand what those mean and their implications. I hope that your colleague Mr Kaine, who chairs the Select Committee on the Establishment of an ACT Public Service, will have the time to educate you in what would be included and what would not be included. I am confident that he will be able to do that, which will save me disabusing you of your misunderstanding about what is going on. I am sure that even Mr Moore looks forward to having you disabused of those things. Madam Speaker, I believe that this is the appropriate way to deal with this matter. Given that we have a short time to report, I am confident that the Opposition will support this motion.
MR KAINE (12.25): Madam Speaker, the Opposition has no difficulty with this recommendation, except that, as chairman of the select committee, I have to point out that there are one or two problems. First of all, I understand that some feelers were put out to the secretariat earlier this week suggesting that the Public Sector Management Bill was going to be brought up for debate by the Chief Minister next Tuesday. I remind members that the terms of reference of the select committee are such that, the minute that happens, the select committee goes out of existence.
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