Page 2757 - Week 08 - Tuesday, 23 June 2009
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public servants to do it for him. There are many things that we see in relation to the Chief Minister.
Mr Stanhope: It’s so easy to do. There’s no fun in it any more. The fun’s gone out of it, Vicki.
MRS DUNNE: If the fun’s gone out of it, get out of it, Jon. The day it ceases to be fun, you should give it up, Jon. We have seen a range of things where this Chief Minister—
Mr Stanhope: The fun’s gone out of doing a job on you. It’s all just so easy.
MRS DUNNE: If he does not enjoy it, nobody else enjoys his spac attacks. I am sure the Auditor-General did not enjoy the spac attack we saw the other day. I am sure that the officers in the Land Development Agency did not enjoy the spac attack when it was relayed to them: “The Chief Minister is very annoyed; he wants this, this and this before morning tea.” It certainly did not happen under previous governments. It did not work like that. There is a lot more to be said about the politicisation of the public service under other departments as they come on.
I need to spend some time talking about the arts in the Chief Minister’s Department. I am particularly interested in the issue which you yourself touched on, Madam Assistant Speaker Le Couteur, in relation to the question of conflicts of interest on arts boards. artsACT has developed a policy for the key organisation that precludes members of arts organisations from serving on boards of those organisations if they receive any remuneration from that organisation.
When I asked questions in the estimates committee, the reason given for this policy was that artsACT was concerned about conflicts of interest arising on boards where the board decided the remuneration of staff of the organisation and if that staff member was involved on the board. You yourself raised issues at the time, Madam Assistant Speaker, and you have dealt with this issue today.
It is the case that there are clear conflicts of interest here. But they are not insurmountable. There are many cases and many examples of how we could get around this without taking a sledgehammer to crack a nut. There has been no consultation on this with arts organisations—no real consultation. It has just been presented to them as a fait accompli. A fait accompli is not consultation.
I am pleased to see that recommendation 33 of the estimates committee report has been agreed to. It is one of the minority of recommendations that have been agreed to. This is a significant—
Ms Gallagher: Fifty-three in total; 53 out of 130.
MRS DUNNE: Fifty-three out of 130 is a minority, yes. This is a great win for key arts organisations, in that artsACT is now going to review this policy. I hope that, when the Chief Minister goes to the end of the high board and prepares for the dive, we see a very elegant backflip and pike, not a belly flop.
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