Page 967 - Week 04 - Thursday, 3 May 2007
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government of hypocrisy and failure and it is a government that has failed the people of Canberra.
The people of Canberra are very disappointed in what they see now. People constantly complain to us about the simplest things. I have talked about mowing grass. The grasses may be dead now, and that is mainly through drought.
Mr Barr: Gosh, Bill, that’s a big concession to make.
MR STEFANIAK: But at least the grass was mown and the city looked good under a Liberal government. It did not look tacky and untidy—and that is something, Mr Barr, you can fix up. The next Liberal government will get Canberra ticking over again and will certainly restore that now long-lost feel to it.
MS PORTER (Ginninderra) (5.06): I am reflecting on whether it is the opposition or the Canberra Times running this today from all I have listened to. But not to worry; obviously the opposition believe everything that is written in the Canberra Times, lock, stock and barrel, which is very interesting.
Today the Chief Minister has provided a perspective of governance in the ACT government and the public sector, highlighting the effective legislative policy and procedural base to support accountability, transparency and integrity in the ACT public sector.
Meredith Edwards, in her article “Governance: meaning and issues” in 2000—
Mr Seselja: Who? Who?
MS PORTER: Meredith Edwards. Obviously there are members in this chamber who did not hear what I said, so I am just repeating: Meredith Edwards. Unfortunately, Mr Seselja has not been around long enough to know who Meredith Edwards is, so if he could find out later that would be handy. Anyway, she defined governance as being about how organisations are structured and managed in such ways as to lead to effective performance in achieving desired outcomes and satisfaction of stakeholders and as such dealing not so much with what organisations do but how they do it.
The importance of a legislative base in defining and supporting how things are to be done should not be underestimated. The formal arrangements that both define the organisation and guide its operations are pivotal in setting the standards for an appropriate cultural environment. The legislation that established the ACT public service set a framework that is compatible with and serves as a support for the appropriate ethos, and by implication the goals, of the organisation.
Whilst legislation alone does not create ethos, legislation can set the standards for a cultural environment in which an appropriate ethos can be manifested and achieved. I consider values and integrity at an individual level and governance in its full meaning encompass an ACT public sector culture which takes into account roles and responsibility and structures and processes in building an accountable public service.
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