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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 3 Hansard (9 April) . . Page.. 789 ..

MR KAINE: Yesterday Ms Reilly asked me a question that had to do with CFC gases at the ACT landfills. I took the question on notice, but at the time I did note that perhaps it was more appropriately a question for the Minister for the Environment. It will get up the Leader of the Opposition's nose, but I was right again. There is already a question on notice on this same subject from Mr Wood which is being dealt with by the Minister for the Environment. When he answers that question, it will also answer the question raised by Ms Reilly.

MRS CARNELL (Chief Minister): Mr Speaker, I table a letter written to me by the six chief executives of the ACT Government. The reason I table this document is that today in question time Mr Whitecross and Mr Berry asked some questions about Mr Flutter and again talked about the politicisation of the Public Service. I think this letter is important and I seek leave to make a short statement on it.

Leave granted.

MRS CARNELL: I think it is important for me to read this letter into the Hansard record. Then I will make a short statement. The letter says:

Dear Mrs Carnell

We are writing regarding comments made yesterday in the Legislative assembly by Mr Wayne Berry MLA and subsequently reported in today's Canberra Times suggesting appointments to the ACT Public Service have become politicised. Mr Berry suggested "the Senior Executive Service has been stacked with friends of the Liberal Government".

We felt it necessary to take the unusual step of writing to you in light of the very serious nature of these allegations being made by Mr Berry and the impact such allegations, if left unchallenged, might have on the reputations and careers of senior staff in the ACT Public Service.

It is important to put on the record that we can see no evidence to support Mr Berry's assertions. We object very strongly to claims that we are "friends" of any political party.

We and many other senior executives have all worked for both liberal and labor governments throughout our careers. Indeed most of us have worked longer for labor governments, at both federal and state levels, than for liberal ones. Some of us have actually worked on the staff of labor Ministers.

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