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

Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2002 Week 2 Hansard (21 February) . . Page.. 486 ..

Orders of the day-postponement

MR WOOD (Minister for Urban Services and Minister for the Arts) (3.27): I move:

That orders of the day Nos 2 to 6, executive business be postponed until the next day of sitting.

This will enable us to move on to the business from yesterday.

Question resolved in the affirmative.

Annual reports-implementation of committee recommendations

MS TUCKER (3.28): I have a motion standing in my name on the notice paper relating to the reporting of progress on the implementation of committee recommendations in annual reports. I move:

That:

(1) this Assembly calls upon the Chief Minister to include in any relevant instrument relating to the information to be included in annual reports made pursuant to the provisions of the Annual Reports (Government Agencies) Act 1995 directions to include a schedule outlining action that has been achieved and is in progress on the implementation of recommendations of Assembly standing and select committees that have been accepted by the Government of the day in any response to those committee reports;

(2) this provision commence in relation to the current Government's responses to committee reports of the Fourth Assembly, and, after initial publication, the schedules included in subsequent annual reports only need include information required on achievements in the relevant period and action that remains outstanding; and

(3) this resolution have effect from the commencement of the Fifth Assembly and continue in force unless and until amended or repealed by this or a subsequent Assembly or the relevant provisions of the legislation are amended by an Assembly.

In essence, this motion seeks to establish an annual check-up on progress towards agreed to committee recommendations. We all know that committee work involves a lot of time and energy of members of the community, members of this Assembly and members of the secretariat. The intent of this motion is to ensure that this valuable work is not lost and that there is a mechanism to ensure that the implementation of agreed to recommendations is monitored and kept in the consciousness of members of this Assembly.

Currently the government and departments may or may not be getting on with the work. Usually committees are busy moving on to other items. Of course, individual members of this Assembly have a big workload and, as individuals, do not always manage to keep an eye on what has happened, even though they may have been very involved with the committee that came up with particular recommendations. So the idea of this motion is to structure into the process of annual reporting a monitoring of the work of committees.

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