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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2004 Week 08 Hansard (Wednesday, 4 August 2004) . . Page.. 3418 ..

MR STANHOPE: I have finished my answer.

Procurement guidelines

MR CORNWELL: Mr Speaker, my question is to the Minister for Education and Training and Minister for Children, Youth and Family Support. Minister, yesterday you stated that you would obtain a full briefing on the extent of the relationship between your department, Totalcare and Procurement Solutions. The opposition has confirmed the ACT government’s procurement guidelines with the ACT Auditor-General. The opposition has information that the arrangements with Totalcare and Procurement Solutions are in clear breach of these guidelines. It seems to be another case of “I didn’t know; I wasn’t told”, which perhaps is really code for “I haven’t been doing my job.”

Have you been fully briefed by your department on the many problems with maintenance and capital works in your portfolio? If so, are you totally confident that your department has fully complied with its responsibilities under occupational health and safety laws and procurement guidelines?

MS GALLAGHER: Yesterday in question time I took, I think, three questions from the opposition relating to matters around the use of Totalcare with facilities management and relationships with ACT Procurement Solutions. I do have some initial advice back on the three questions that were asked by Mrs Burke, Mrs Dunne and Mr Cornwell, which I was going to read at the end of question time. I have sought further advice on one area. It seems the opposition knows a little bit more about this than I do.

Mrs Dunne: Actually we don’t. We know exactly what your department knows.

MS GALLAGHER: Well, yesterday in question time Mrs Dunne said, “We know exactly what you know,” implying that I knew something that I was not—

Mrs Dunne: We know what your department knows so therefore you know.

MS GALLAGHER: Well, again, there we go. I understand that there is a matter in respect of public interest disclosures that could be related to this. I have not been advised of any information about that, in accordance with the procedures surrounding public interest disclosures, but I can answer some of the questions that were asked yesterday. As some of this relates to Mr Cornwell’s question, to save time I will do so now rather than at the end of question time.

Totalcare does not currently provide any repair and maintenance services to the Department of Education and Training. It has not done so since the transfer of its facilities management activities and associated staff to the Department of Urban Services on 1 March 2004. This was following the resolution of the ACT Legislative Assembly which agreed to the transfer in accordance with the provisions of the Territory Owned Corporations Act.

I am advised that prior to the transfer of the facilities management group to Urban Services, Totalcare did undertake repairs and maintenance work for the department. Procurement Solutions have advised that where the value of the work triggered relevant

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