Page 1042 - Week 04 - Tuesday, 2 May 2006
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Of the 430 people who have left the ACT public service in the last year, 115 or so were voluntary redundees. The list of those members of the ACT public service who expressed an interest in a redundancy far exceeded by a significant order—I do not know how many—the number of redundancies that have been taken. All other reductions were a result of decisions that were taken to seek employment elsewhere, retire, resign, move on or take a promotion. The sort of urban myth that you seek to develop of a great cohort of disheartened redundees is just an absolute nonsense.
Mrs Burke: So they are not disheartened when you don’t want them to be?
MR STANHOPE: Every one of them is a voluntary redundancy and far more people were seeking a redundancy than redundancies were offered. It has always been thus and it will always be thus in the future.
Government—financial responsibility and probity
MR SESELJA: My question is to the Chief Minister. Chief Minister, in your media release of two weeks ago, in which you announced your new ministry, you said:
… financial responsibility and probity will inform the way forward, at the highest levels of government.
What problems have been identified in relation to financial responsibility and probity at the highest levels of government and what will be done to address these problems?
MR STANHOPE: None. I do not know what it is that the member is suggesting. In terms of integrity and perhaps probity and honesty, an example that has caused some concern for me today is the nature of the allegations made by the Leader of the Opposition and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition in this place—allegations that essentially suggest that the government and the Treasury are deliberately lying in documents which they have produced. That does bother me in the context of issues around integrity, probity and honesty—suggestions that this government is deliberately falsifying a document such as the midyear review. I am aware of that issue—it has come to light today—but in the context of issues around probity in financial management, I am aware of none, Mr Seselja.
Planning—development applications
MS PORTER: My question is to the Minister for Planning. Can the minister advise the Assembly how the planning reforms that this government has initiated to date have reduced the time for assessment of development applications?
MR CORBELL: I thank Ms Porter for the question. Yes, the number of development applications being determined by the ACT Planning and Land Authority within statutory time frames has significantly increased—and this is good news for the development and construction industry in Canberra, and good news for the Canberra economy because it means fewer delays when it comes to getting developments approved, assessed, approved with conditions and so on.
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