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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 14 Hansard (11 December) . . Page.. 4970 ..

MRS CARNELL (Chief Minister): I seek leave of the Assembly to make a ministerial statement on the ACT Government's consultation protocol.

Leave granted.

MRS CARNELL: Mr Temporary Deputy Speaker, I am pleased to announce that the final consultation protocol is now complete and ready to be distributed to the ACT Government's staff and to the community.

Mr Berry: We will let you incorporate this one in Hansard.

Mr Whitecross: Please!

MR TEMPORARY DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order!

MRS CARNELL: Do you want it incorporated?

MR TEMPORARY DEPUTY SPEAKER: Is leave granted to have the speech incorporated in Hansard?

Ms McRae: We are just teasing.

MRS CARNELL: No; it is okay. In making this announcement, I reaffirm my Government's commitment to undertaking comprehensive and broad-ranging consultation on issues of importance to the Canberra community. Our aim has been to ensure that the Government is made more accountable to Canberrans by involving them in decision-making processes and by listening directly to their views. Since self-government was instituted in the ACT, there has been a cry for more and better consultation in the ACT by a community that boasts a greater number of community groups per capita than anywhere else in Australia. Canberra is, by and large, a very vocal community that has grown to expect a high level of involvement in government decision-making. The high level of participation in decision-making by community groups actively demonstrates democracy at work. I believe that it demonstrates a very healthy relationship between the Government and the community.

Over the past two years, my Government has made a very strong commitment to the development and improvement of community consultation in the ACT. I have been only too well aware that there is always room for improvement, especially in complicated areas such as those that involve consultation with the ACT community. As you are aware, in February this year the Customer Involvement Unit was established in my department. The unit has been charged with liaising with both the community and government agencies, with a focus on improving government consultation processes. I am pleased to see that this initiative has been recognised by the committee in its statement. To date, the unit has met with over 140 community groups and provided advice and assistance to a number of government agencies. It is now embarking on a strategic approach to ensure

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