Page 2345 - Week 08 - Wednesday, 22 June 1994
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Clause 12
MRS CARNELL (Leader of the Opposition) (3.02): I move amendment No. 7 circulated in my name. It reads:
7. Page 10, line 17, after subclause (2), insert the following subclause:
"(2A) The staffs of the autonomous instrumentalities do not form part of the Service.".
Madam Speaker, I will speak only briefly. Taking into account the votes of the Assembly on this issue before, I fully appreciate what will happen with this one as well. This amendment was put forward in an attempt to allow the staff of particular autonomous instrumentalities to focus on things that appear not to be of particular interest to this Assembly - things like customer service, performance, the success of the agency; issues that are about the culture of particular agencies and that allow that particular agency to have a culture of its own rather than necessarily the culture of the service. I think that is an appropriate approach and I think you will find that the same thing is happening all over Australia. It is interesting to note that the ACT is the only State or Territory that brings agencies and autonomous instrumentalities, as we like to call them in this Bill - I think, somewhat tongue in cheek - under a Bill that has a single culture. The reason why no other State has attempted to do that is that they understand that there are different cultures in agencies and in core public services. For the same reason, the Commonwealth Public Service is attempting to do the same. Rather than suggest that this is somewhat of a joke, around Australia I suspect that our Bill will be the joke.
MR MOORE (3.04): Madam Speaker, if I were a public servant working in almost any area of ACT service I would feel insulted by what the Leader of the Opposition just presented. She is suggesting that, in that whole area of service direct to the public, the ACT Government Service, as it will come to be known when this Bill is through, does not provide a good service. I am sure that we have all suffered a couple of odd exceptions where personalities have not been quite right, and maybe I was cranky on the day as well; but, with a couple of exceptions, generally - - -
Mr Connolly: It is hard to imagine.
MR MOORE: I see that members find that hard to believe, and I can understand that. Madam Speaker, generally the ACT public servants that I deal with provide an excellent service, and they have a great culture of service. I think that ought to be clarified. In fact I would suggest that the Leader of the Opposition, since I see her nodding her head, get up and clarify that.
Mr Lamont: And apologise.
MR MOORE: And apologise.
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