Page 1898 - Week 07 - Tuesday, 14 June 1994
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At present the Australian Capital Territory Electricity and Water Authority and the Legal Aid Commission, ACT, are identified in the Public Sector Management Bill as autonomous instrumentalities. The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions has been treated as though it were a normal government department under the provisions of the Bill. The chairman of the Select Committee on the Establishment of an ACT Public Service, Mr Kaine, has argued extensively today, I believe, that these three agencies need to be treated differently, on the basis of the arguments that have been put before the committee. I do not propose to go over those arguments again, although members will note that I support the majority report's recommendations in relation to these matters.
I would like to comment briefly on the report's other recommendations, and particularly recommendation 1, which says:
The committee recommends that a Committee of the Assembly be established to inquire into and report from time to time on the implementation of legislation establishing the Australian Capital Territory Government Service, and the transition to the Australian Capital Territory Government Service.
I support this recommendation wholeheartedly, as I understand that Mr Berry has also in this respect. There is no doubt that the Select Committee on the Establishment of an ACT Public Service has had insufficient time to do its job properly. This has been due substantially to the fact that the Public Sector Management Bill was not tabled in this Assembly until 21 April of this year and the Public Sector Management (Consequential and Transitional Provisions) Bill was not tabled until 12 May 1994, some four weeks ago. It should be said, however, that the committee members appreciated receiving copies of the draft Public Sector Management Bill as proposed before 21 April 1994. Members may be interested to hear that the timeframe for the Northern Territory to achieve a separate public service was nine months, once draft legislation was first seen. If the ACT was working to a similar timetable, we would be looking at an implementation date for the separate ACT public service of 1 January 1995. I believe that an Assembly committee does have an ongoing role in overseeing the transition to a separate ACT public service and in its implementation. (Extension of time granted)
Madam Speaker, at this point I would like to recommend that the Government take on an additional task in relation to the separate ACT public service. There has been much discussion, during the select committee's deliberations on the Public Sector Management Bill and in the wider public arena, about the structure and organisation of the
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