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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 11 Hansard (30 November) . . Page.. 3540 ..

MR CORBELL (continuing):

This committee, unlike other committees in this place that have statutory obligations under certain acts, does not receive additional resourcing to cope with the workload that that obligation generates. I think that it is time for the Assembly to make some decisions about the effective resourcing of the committee system, in particular committees with statutory obligations such as the Planning and Urban Services Committee.

It is not good government to have draft variations for the Territory Plan, for example, take eight to 12 months to complete, and that has happened on occasion. That is not simply because of the complexity of the issues; it is also because of the workload that the committee faces. There has been some discussion in this place over the last couple of days about increasing the number of members of this place. Increasing the number of members certainly would improve the workability of the committee system. But that is only one part of the equation. The other part is the effective resourcing of the system.

I believe that we are underresourced at the moment. If we continue to expand the scope and role of the committee system, which we have done with the budget process which this Assembly has agreed to in terms of the draft budget work over the past six months or so, there will be more and more work for committees to do. We are already talking about resolving the issue of the staffing of committees in terms of the number of members available to do committee work.

It is time that we had a debate about properly resourcing the committee system as well. The current situation is untenable. It is leading to major stresses on the committee process and, I would have to say, is putting at risk the ability of committees to do the detailed examinations that they need to do, having to prioritise them in such a way that issues that such should be raised perhaps are not getting the full attention that they deserve.

Debate (on motion by Mr Hargreaves ) adjourned to the next sitting.

MR OSBORNE: I ask for leave to make a statement on behalf of the Standing Committee on Justice and Community Safety concerning a new inquiry.

Leave granted.

MR OSBORNE: Mr Speaker, I wish to inform the Assembly that on 25 September 2000 the Standing Committee on Justice and Community Safety resolved to inquire into and report to the Assembly on the legislative basis and operations of the Agents Board of the ACT, with particular reference to:

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