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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1998 Week 6 Hansard (1 September) . . Page.. 1641 ..

MR HUMPHRIES (continuing):

they had made applications to quasi-government bodies like Healthpact. At the point that I last spoke to them they had not made that application. That was quite some time after I had sent them the documentation on that subject.

My position remains the same. I am happy to consider giving them support in as sympathetic a way as I can, bearing in mind that I do not actually administer a grants program. That is not within my portfolio, but I will consider seeing what assistance I can provide, provided that they have shown evidence that they are prepared to make an effort themselves to secure all available sources of funding. I think Healthpact is one very obvious source of potential support that they need to explore before they come back to ask for support from the government mainstream.

Code of Conduct for Ministers

MR BERRY: My question is to the Chief Minister. Chief Minister, last week you tabled your new code of conduct for Ministers. In your tabling statement you said, rather piously, as I recall:

The Government has looked carefully at this issue and has focused on the need to reflect in the code the primacy of a Minister's public duty. This is an important job and it is a privilege to serve the community in this way. Ministers make critical decisions in respect of everyone in the ACT. The conduct standards must reflect the high expectations of the community. The revised code meets these requirements.

One of the changes made in the code is to refer to some of the basic values that describe the obligations of elected office. These are respect for the law -

I underscore that respect for the law -

and the system of government; respect for persons; integrity -

I underscore that too, integrity -

diligence; and economy and efficiency.

Chief Minister, you went on to say:

I do not think anyone could argue with these values.

On page 2 of the code is this statement:

Ministers shall uphold the laws of the Australian Capital Territory and Australia, and shall not be a party to their breach, evasion, or subversion.

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