Page 2481 - Week 08 - Tuesday, 22 August 2006
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non-core business activities, given that the track record in this regard was less than impressive. I would like to dwell on several issues that were raised during the estimates committee process on the Chief Minister’s office and the commitments to productivity, business interests and the relationship with the commonwealth. It has been established in estimates that the ACT government is committed to furthering joint efforts at the state, territory and federal levels to improve productivity and work force participation through the COAG national reform agenda. It was the chief executive officer who stated in estimates:
The major components of that agenda are attempts to increase productivity by increasing work force participation and the health of the work force as well ... The components of the reform agenda are agreed, and at official level we are working our way through the detail of that process ... What is not agreed at the moment is how the states, territories and commonwealth will share in both the costs and benefits of the process.
It is of fundamental importance that these efforts are pursued with vigour as it is only through cooperation with the commonwealth and our state and territory colleagues that meaningful progress and productivity reforms can be made.
It is not only in the area of industry and workplace reform that the ACT/commonwealth dynamic is significant; interests much closer to home, such as the success of Canberra’s centenary celebration, depend on positive collaboration between the Chief Minister’s office and the commonwealth government. That is a relationship that has been less than satisfactory in the two years I have been in the Assembly, and we have seen it reflect itself in a range of different areas. I do not think that it has been to the advantage of the territory that there have been apparently so many areas of conflict. The Chief Minister stated in estimates:
We are absolutely indisputably aware that the success of the centenary celebration of Canberra 100 depends on the celebration being embraced by the commonwealth. We are doing everything within our power … to engage the commonwealth.
Likewise, with reference to the ACT’s pursuit of overhauling the Canberra Convention Centre, the Chief Minister also stated in estimates:
Cabinet has directed the Chief Minister’s Department to now appropriately, through its good offices and contact, develop a way forward in the establishment of a genuine joint ministerial convention centre steering committee comprising appropriate commonwealth/territory representation.
Let us hope that this results in a positive and economically beneficial result for the Canberra Convention Centre or a new facility.
Finally, the estimates committee provided the Chief Minister with an opportunity to reinforce his rhetorical commitment to the promotion of business in the ACT in the context of his economic white paper. The Chief Minister said in estimates:
The economic white paper and its underlying philosophy still underpins and will continue to underpin the ACT government’s commitment to economic growth in the territory. Having said that, as I indicated, we have taken the opportunity, I think quite appropriately, to reflect and to focus on the issues identified by business to the
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