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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 9 Hansard (28 August) . . Page.. 2716 ..

MS FOLLETT (3.45): Mr Speaker, I would like to take the liberty of speaking very briefly to this matter, as I was a member of the Public Accounts Committee at the time the report originally came before the committee. I want to speak on only the last paragraph of Mr De Domenico's response to that report and indicate as strongly as I possibly can that I do not regard that response as in any way appropriate or satisfactory. I put Mr De Domenico and ACTEW on notice that I regard this kind of "arm's length, hands off, it is nothing to do with us" approach as a direct insult to this legislature.

If members care to study the last paragraph of the Minister's response, I think they could well be as appalled as I am to see the baldness of the statement that is made there. That statement says that, because ACTEW staff no longer come under the direction, the scrutiny, the legislative control of the Public Sector Management Act, "including the values and principles of public administration and the general obligations of public employees", these matters did not apply to ACTEW employees. In other words, we are to understand from the Minister that ACTEW employees are operating in a totally value-free, obligation-free environment. That is what the Minister has said. I find it absolutely reprehensible for any public corporation to make that kind of statement.

Members will be aware that I opposed the corporatisation of ACTEW, but I can tell you now that never in my wildest dreams, at the time I opposed the corporatisation of ACTEW, did I ever envisage ACTEW removing itself so far beyond the scrutiny of this Assembly, the control of its Minister, or the generally accepted standards of public administration that apply in this community. I am appalled. I have no doubt that the Public Accounts Committee will want to follow up on this matter further. I do believe that this Assembly, or what remains of it just at the moment, ought to take very careful note of this attitude by ACTEW and by its Minister. I say to Mrs Carnell and Mr De Domenico: You are the shareholders in ACTEW, just the two of you. If you think this is okay, I have to inform you that I do not, and if I were a shareholder I would be making that abundantly clear to ACTEW. I would be saying to ACTEW, "You might be a corporate body now, but we expect you to behave to a suitable standard that would apply to any public body. We expect you to be accountable to your Minister, to the legislature and to the community, and this kind of `get lost' attitude simply cannot be allowed to endure".

MR WOOD (3.48): Mr Speaker, as the current chair of the Public Accounts Committee, I would endorse the comments made by Ms Follett. I will not adjourn the debate, but I can assure you that the committee has been looking at this question and the position of ACTEW and the extent to which it can operate as freely as it would like. The committee is intending to examine these matters very closely, and I expect we will have something further to say in the future.

Question resolved in the affirmative.

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