Page 4406 - Week 14 - Wednesday, 30 November 1994
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MS FOLLETT (Chief Minister and Treasurer) (5.53), in reply: Madam Speaker, I would like to thank Mr Kaine for his indication of support for the Bill. It is a significant matter because this is really the final arrangement for the separate service in relation to statutory offices and chief executives. With the move to self-government, we inherited from the Commonwealth an inappropriate model for dealing with statutory offices. The Commonwealth, as members would know, had chosen to pursue a hands-off approach to the administration of the Territory, particularly in regard to the Territory's statutory functions. With the establishment of a separate ACT public service, we now have the opportunity, and I would venture to say that we have the obligation, to address this inherited inefficiency.
The model that is set out in the Bill rationalises the outmoded Commonwealth model and has been developed to address the Territory's needs and to fit in with the Government's general principles of administering the ACT. The Bill promotes and increases accountability and efficiency, and it recognises the new role of chief executives. The Bill achieves this by simplifying the appointment process, and consequently the lines of direction and reporting for certain statutory offices. The Bill cuts out the extra step of ministerial rubber-stamping of an appointment as currently required, and it describes the chief executive's responsibilities for the statutory side of public sector administration.
Madam Speaker, developing arrangements for statutory offices has been a major task. Mr Kaine commented on the number of such positions. If it had been an easy task it would have been done earlier. The ACT Government Service has been in place now since July and it is high time that we finalised these structural arrangements. Of the 255 ACT public offices, it is appropriate to continue arrangements for either ministerial or judicial responsibility for 112. For the remaining 143, the Bill proposes arrangements for chief executive responsibility. The functions of the affected offices are municipal-type functions and involve mainly routine administrative tasks which sit easily in the public administration functions under chief executives' control. The legislation currently requires that the functions be performed by public servants, and this Bill is consistent with this idea, reflecting that the functions appropriately form part of public service activities and should fall wholly within the functioning of public service departments. The chief executives will have full responsibility for creating, filling and operating these offices, while maintaining their usual accountability requirements to the relevant Minister.
As I said, Madam Speaker, this is an important opportunity. The Government has delivered a separate ACT Government Service encompassing not only the public sector management side but also now the statutory function side. It is now a matter for the Assembly to pass the Bill, if members see fit. As I said, I thank Mr Kaine for his support of the Bill. It is an important step and I think it is important that we do not lose the opportunity that is presented now to finalise the separate service arrangements.
Question resolved in the affirmative.
Bill agreed to in principle.
Leave granted to dispense with the detail stage.
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