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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2001 Week 7 Hansard (21 June) . . Page.. 2322 ..

MR KAINE (continuing):

Minister, is this report correct? Has the senior public servant concerned resigned from her position with the ACT government? If not, is the minister satisfied that it is appropriate for an individual to hold a full-time salaried Commonwealth government position in addition to a full-time ACT public service job?

MR STEFANIAK: The officer concerned announced her resignation from the department to her chief executive and the staff on Monday of this week. I am advised that the officer formally accepted the appointment to the Insurance Claims Review Panel on the following day, 19 June. The officer's resignation from the department will take effect on 30 July. I am advised that she will commence her new appointment on 1 August. I take the opportunity to thank her for the work she has done on behalf of the Department of Justice and Community Safety. Her name is Anna Lennon and she has done an excellent job over about 41/2 years.

MR KAINE: I have a supplementary question. Minister, what is the process followed in your department when a public servant seeks to hold a full or part-time position outside the ACT government services while retaining their ACT position? Is there some process that you have to go through?

MR STEFANIAK: I do not think that is the case here, Mr Kaine. I must say that, from what I know of the significant dimensions and pressures of that officer's current position, I think it is untenable to contemplate anyone of sane mind in that position taking on another full-time or even part-time position. In fact, I understand that one of the reasons she accepted the new position was for a more flexible and less demanding working arrangement. One of the reasons the Department of Justice and Community Safety increased some of the budget, which those opposite churlishly thought was not a budget initiative, just a pay rise, was to recognise the exception work done by the staff there, who certainly have jobs that are very much full time.

Lyneham tennis centre

MR CORBELL: My question is to Minister for Urban Services. Minister, the Auditor-General's report Enhancing Professionalism and Accountability makes the following telling points about government decisions being made with inadequate info:

The Cabinet's decision to redevelop the Stadium was based on inadequate and unreliable info.

Last Thursday during question time you, Minister, confirmed that you had failed to receive any formal written advice, legal or otherwise, in relation to your ability to revoke the development approval for the Lyneham tennis centre. Will you please explain to the Assembly why you have not learned from the lessons of Bruce Stadium, as evidenced by your failure to obtain any formal written advice in relation to your capacity to revoke the development approval for the Lyneham tennis centre?

MR SMYTH: I receive perfectly reliable oral advice from PALM every day. Questions about the planning portfolio that come to my office every day are resolved with a phone call to the appropriate section of the department. The real question here is: why is Mr Corbell in such conflict with his leader? The very day this approval was announced, Mr Stanhope said that he thought this was a good development for Canberra. He thought

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