Page 2183 - Week 07 - Tuesday, 15 August 2006
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The reductions in public servant numbers outlined in the budget will be largely achieved through redundancies and natural attrition. As well, there will be movement of staff from some departments to a shared services centre and other centralised services. The budget also proposes a reduction in the number of boards and advisory committees and the amalgamation of central functions—for instance, into the new Department of Territory and Municipal Services. This presented issues for all involved in tracking staff movements and actual staff numbers relevant to each department or agency and, obviously, estimates of expenditure related to these functions. Because of this raft of changes, the budget papers at times were complex, creating some difficulties in navigation. These presentation issues should become less challenging in the budget papers for next year, and we have made some of the recommendations with regard to that.
Ministers and witnesses were carefully questioned about these changes to departments and their responsibilities. The committee acknowledges that with such radical change comes a need to allow various departments and agencies to negotiate some arrangements with staff where that is desirable. However, as you know, the government has a firm commitment to the process of transparency and accountability provided by the estimates committee, and the report asks the government to clarify and, in some cases, review or report back on some policies and initiatives.
Those opposite will no doubt say that they needed more of this or that. But, after 14 days of public hearings and nearly 24 hours of deliberative meetings and a record number of 435 questions on notice, there can be no doubt that this year’s Select Committee on Estimates has been the most thorough and the process the most open and exhaustive that this Assembly has ever seen.
There are always people to thank when a report like this is tabled. At this point I would like to thank all members of the committee for their hard work through the process. Whether we agree or not at the end of the process, it is still a fact that the committee worked long and hard and I would like to particularly thank members for their support of me as chair. I would like to thank all of those who appeared before the committee—ministers, departmental officials and representatives of community groups. As you would probably realise, our personal staff are always asked to work long hours during this process, and they deserve a big thank you as well.
Finally I would like to publicly thank the staff of the committee office for all their work during the estimates process. Particularly I want to put on the public record the extraordinary job Sandra Lilburn has done as the secretary of the committee. Sandra is less than one year into her time with the committee office, and to have been secretary to estimates so early in her time with us and to have carried out her job so tirelessly and professionally at such a superior level is a great achievement indeed. Thank you, Sandra. Especially I would like to thank her for her support of me as chair. Robina Jaffray, the manager of committees, was always on hand to give Sandra additional support when necessary. Of course, all the committee staff took their turn to support us during the public hearings, and we appreciate all of that support. Indeed, the committee, recognising the large volume of work that our committee office undertakes, has called for more resources to be afforded this office.
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