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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 6 Hansard (19 June) . . Page.. 1836 ..
MR KAINE: The two principals, Mr Hird, are Mr Peter Devine, a former director of the Association of Professional Engineers, Scientists and Managers, Australia, and Mr Craig Shannon, a former executive member of the Australian Public Service Association and the public sector organiser with the Australian Services Union, that is, the Federated Clerks Union. In that connection, Mr Speaker, it might be interesting to quote from something that Mr Devine said this morning. I think his words are quite interesting. He said this:
Restructuring and reform is what it's all about in the public sector at the moment. It is fair to say that you face some of the most fundamental reforms in the history of the public service. You face a worried staff, apprehensive of further change, preoccupied over the possibility of a once lifetime career being lost and in some quarters a work force displaying outright fear and unfortunately hostility about losing control of their future.
Agreement making in this environment will be difficult if not impossible, especially if the staff have no leadership or the capacity to find professional representation free from political motivation or an agenda of opposition for opposition's sake -
does that not sound familiar? -
rather than an attitude to explore the benefits of cooperation and mutual benefit for both parties.
... ... ...
We believe that the parties don't have the luxury of protracted, drawn out negotiations and political posturing.
That is why this organisation will be of such value to people in the future - because they are not in there for the politics of it; they are in there to get a proper result.
MS McRAE: My question without notice is to Mr Kaine in his capacity as Minister for Urban Services. Minister, can you confirm that your recent claims that passenger journeys for ACTION are improving are based on the fact that concession fares have increased, as stated by the acting CEO of ACTION during the Estimates Committee hearing, and that the reason that the number of concession fares has increased is that you have cancelled over 40 school services and schoolchildren who formerly used those services are now being forced to use route buses?
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