Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .

Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 5 Hansard (11 May) . . Page.. 1476 ..

MR SPEAKER: On Tuesday, 9 May, Mr Hird directed a question without notice to me concerning travel undertaken by the chief of staff of the Leader of the Opposition. Mr Hird asked whether it was acceptable practice to utilise training allocations for staff to attend party political events. Mr Hird also asked whether I would consider a request from the Minister for Education to refund money paid by him in 1995 in relation to travel undertaken by a member of his staff.

Approval was recently given for the expenditure of funds to enable the chief of staff of the Leader of the Opposition to accompany him whilst he attended a forum on rural and regional development for Labor Party leaders in Tasmania. The Leader of the Opposition utilised his study trip allocation to attend the forum and duly reported on the matter.

There have been instances of members staff travelling interstate and each request for assistance from the Assembly budget is given due consideration and assessed on its merits. Matters that would be taken into account would include the relevance of the proposal to a member's Assembly and electoral responsibilities.

Approval was given in this case. In the approval being given, the fact was noted that the issue of members staff travel was about to be reviewed in the budgetary context. Non-executive members will recall that I recently sought their views on whether there should be an increase in the allocation for members staff travel and, if so, in what way it could be funded and what other guidelines should exist. That review was undertaken in the budgetary context by the Standing Committee on Administration and Procedure, and certain details are still to be finalised. Members of the Administration and Procedure Committee will recognise that those details relate to the guidelines essentially, but they are being worked on.

Finally, in relation to the travel undertaken in 1995 by the staff of the Minister for Education, that is a matter relating to the executive budget over which I have no control and very little cognisance.

MS CARNELL ( Chief Minister) (3.46): For the information of members, I present the following papers:

Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .