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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 9 Hansard (4 September) . . Page.. 2917 ..

MR SPEAKER: Chief Minister, you were answering a question, I believe.

MRS CARNELL: During the process to select board members it became apparent that, to attract the calibre of person the Health and Community Care Service Board required, a more realistic remuneration for their expertise and time was necessary. What has now been determined for the board's three members is the category 2 rate for "officers not specified" as set down in the ACT Remuneration Tribunal's determination for part-time office-holders of public offices. A standard remuneration in such cases is $235 per diem. This does not differ markedly from the original information provided.

As the department researched similar boards to ascertain the appropriate level of remuneration for the chair, it was found that the per diem rate, as previously suggested, was going to be insufficient to invite the types of people with the requisite skills to chair the board. The amount proposed by the department was $30,000, which was comparable with the remuneration paid to the chairs of other boards such as Totalcare and the Casino Surveillance Authority. Ms McRae, it was your question. I thought you would have liked to hear the answer.

MR SPEAKER: Is Ms McRae listening? Perhaps you might like to resume your seat, Chief Minister.

Ms McRae: I am allowed to behave as I please. I am not interjecting.

MR SPEAKER: I was just wondering whether you were listening.

Ms McRae: I may. I will be more interested if you actually give an answer.

MRS CARNELL: That is exactly what I am doing. I have determined that the ACT Health and Community Care Service Board shall be a body for which the ACT Remuneration Tribunal shall determine remuneration and allowances payable. The tribunal will ensure that the remuneration of the board members is appropriate, given their expertise and responsibilities. In fact, the determination to specify the remuneration for the office of chair and the members of the ACT Health and Community Care Service Board was tabled in this Assembly in June, Mr Speaker. I can hardly be accused of misleading the Assembly when this information was provided to the Assembly and gazetted for public information. I find it hard to understand how Ms McRae could suggest that I was misleading the Assembly when we actually tabled the information and gazetted it for everybody to see.

It is of interest that when Mr Berry was the Minister for Health he asked the Remuneration Tribunal to make a determination of fees to be paid to the chair and members of the ACT Board of Health, suggesting an amount of $309 per diem for members and $411 per diem, with an additional retainer of $10,000 per annum, for the chair. The extra retainer for the chair was to bring his remuneration in line - - -

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