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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1999 Week 13 Hansard (9 December) . . Page.. 4117 ..

MR CORBELL (continuing):

Mrs Carnell tabled yesterday in this place a minute from the Commissioner for Public Administration outlining that in August 1996, the first year of the Carnell Government, new senior executives were to have their rates of temporary accommodation allowance increased - I stress the word "increased", Mr Speaker - by 41 per cent and 60 per cent in the two categories concerned. The minute confirmed further that no longer would these senior executives be required to share the burden and make an officer contribution towards the costs of their accommodation, as was generally required in the guidelines established by the Labor Government. And the minute overruled - that is right, overruled - the general three-year limit for temporary accommodation allowance payments by determining that the senior executives concerned would be entitled to receive the payments for up to the full five years of their contracts; not just for one year, not for two years, not even for three years, Mr Speaker, but for five full years, the entire length of their contract.

All of these decisions overruled the provisions of the guidelines and standards which were in place under the previous Labor Government and all of these decisions were made in the term of the Carnell Government. Mrs Carnell is just plain wrong when she makes the claim that these payments were in accordance with the previous Labor Government's guidelines. They were not. They were made specifically for these executives by her Government. Perhaps that is why the Chief Minister is now resorting to the defence of saying, "Do not ask me as it has nothing to do with me. It was the Commissioner for Public Administration". That was the defence that we heard yesterday in question time. It was the defence that we heard again today in question time.

Mr Speaker, that is an arrogant and cowardly defence from a Chief Minister who is still unable to understand the most basic notions of ministerial responsibility and accountability. The Chief Minister cannot claim that she could not be questioned on this matter or was not able to answer such questions because it had nothing to do with her. She has ministerial responsibility for the Public Service and in the end matters of public interest, such as the remuneration entitlements of senior executives, are matters for her to answer, not to duck and hide on as we have seen her do over the past few days.

So desperate have been Mrs Carnell's attempts to distance herself from this issue that she has even gone as far as to get a letter from the chief executive of her department saying that there had been no ministerial correspondence - that is, advice from her department to her - until this issue became public last week. In fact, that letter reads in part:

Perhaps Mrs Carnell should have thought twice before getting that advice because it has shown up a major failing in the whole administration of this issue. Mr Speaker, what this advice from Mr Gilmour to the Chief Minister indicates - in fact, what it confirms - is that these payments have been made outside the provisions of the Public Sector Management Act and should not have been made. They are contrary to the Act.

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