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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1995 Week 11 Hansard (12 December) . . Page.. 2849 ..

MS FOLLETT (continuing):

In the case of the United Kingdom, the material has been very much misstated by all and sundry on the other side of the chamber. I have the report on the United Kingdom Civil Service, as it is called. It is a very long report. It is called "A Civil Service Which Meets the Challenge". At paragraph 4.33 of that report, this statement is made:

The Government believes that there should be one form of contract to cover the great majority of circumstances. It favours contracts in which employment is for an indefinite term but with specific periods of notice.

These are clearly contracts which are not time limited. The report goes on, at paragraph 4.35:

The Government does not favour fixed term or rolling contracts as a model for general application.

The information about what is happening in the United Kingdom Civil Service has been applied very poorly indeed. Mrs Carnell also made a point about part-time employment for the SES. She has overlooked the fact that her own legislation - I think that I am right in this - withdraws the provisions in the Public Sector Management Act that allow for part-time employment. She has failed to address how, under her amended legislation, she proposes to provide for part-time employment. A simple reading of the legislation would indicate that there is no such provision. Mr Speaker, I believe that the legislation as proposed by the Government is wrong in principle and it is wrong in practice. I believe that it is appropriate for the SES to continue as a career public service, as a permanent public service, except in those cases where contracts are clearly required because of the nature of the work or the person required to do that work and so on, and that is the existing situation. Mr Speaker, I commend my amendment to the Assembly.

Question put:

That the amendment (Ms Follett's) be agreed to.

The Assembly voted -

AYES, 8	 	NOES, 9

Mr Berry	Mrs Carnell
Mr Connolly	Mr Cornwell
Ms Follett	Mr De Domenico
Ms Horodny	Mr Hird
Ms McRae	Mr Humphries
Ms Tucker	Mr Kaine
Mr Whitecross	Mr Moore
Mr Wood		Mr Osborne
		Mr Stefaniak

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