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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1999 Week 1 Hansard (18 February) . . Page.. 295 ..

MR HIRD (continuing):

The second recommendation I would like to mention is the committee's last recommendation; that is, recommendation 7. This calls upon the Government to advise the parliament within the next two months on the experience to date with the policy on use of service station sites and, in particular, on whether it appears that the level of change of use charge is acting as a deterrent to the redevelopment of service station sites, especially adjacent to local shopping centres.

Members will be aware of the background to such a recommendation. We, as members in this parliament, have all received complaints by residents about the number of disused service station sites that have been lying vacant for too long. Something needs to be done to encourage these sites to be used once more for productive purposes. The committee is asking the Government to review the existing policy and tell us how it is working, and whether it needs to be changed.

Mr Deputy Speaker and members, I think that this all shows that the committee did its work carefully and faithfully. I would like to thank my colleagues on the committee and I would also like to thank those that gave up their time to give both written and verbal submissions to our inquiry. In particular, I would like to thank our hardworking secretary, Mr Rod Power. I commend the report to the parliament.

Question resolved in the affirmative.

MR QUINLAN (11.29): I present Public Accounts Committee Report No. 13 of the Standing Committee for the Chief Minister's Portfolio, entitled "Review of Auditor-General's Report No. 6, 1998 - Assembly Members' Superannuation and Severance Payments to Former Members' Staffers", together with a copy of the extracts of the minutes of proceedings. I move:

That the report be noted.

Mr Deputy Speaker, this audit covered superannuation payments made to Assembly members and their staffers who retired during the last Assembly and those who were not re-elected last year. It also covers severance payments to staff members of a former Minister. The main findings were that certain superannuation payments were not calculated correctly and that a staff member was overpaid by a small amount.

The committee has examined the matters and is satisfied that they have been addressed. It notes that the Chief Minister's Department's procedures have been reviewed to ensure that final and other payments due to members separating from the Assembly and their staff are calculated in accordance with the appropriate authority. In other words, there has been a fair bit of sloppy work in the Chief Minister's Department, but they are doing something about it. I commend the report to the Assembly.

Question resolved in the affirmative.

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