Page 2340 - Week 08 - Wednesday, 22 June 1994
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Government agencies shall have an objective of implementing the following values and principles:
(a) service to the public;
... ... ...
Clause 7 says:
The public sector shall be administered with an objective of giving effect to the following principles: ...
The first one is:
(a) the public sector shall be administered to provide quality services to the public;
Clause 9 says:
A public employee shall, in performing his or her duties:
... ... ...
(d) treat members of the public and other public employees with courtesy and sensitivity to their rights, duties and aspirations;
... ... ...
The whole thrust of the thing is service to the public. That being the case, the title that Mr Stevenson is suggesting should go on the front of this Bill. It is very appropriate. For the Government to argue otherwise is again illogical and inconsistent.
MS SZUTY (2.44): I believe that I mentioned the issue of terminology, in particular whether we referred to the service as the "ACT Government Service" or the "ACT Public Service", during my remarks on the report of the select committee which looked at the public service or in the in-principle debate on the Bill in the Assembly last week. I cannot quite remember at what stage I mentioned it, but I am fairly sure that I did. This is not an issue that I have given a great amount of thought to. It came up at the round table discussions that a number of us had on Monday of this week. At the end of the day, if the Government wants to refer to this as the "ACT Government Service", I do not have a problem with that. I do take Mr Kaine's point that if we are referring to an "ACT Public Service" we have that concept of the greater good of the public in mind as well. On the other hand, by calling our public service the "ACT Government Service" we will establish that terminology as the terminology which relates to the public service in the ACT. At this stage I have no particular difficulty with it.
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