Page 3295 - Week 09 - Wednesday, 19 August 2009
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Finally, a question that the Greens have raised with me relates to the process as it might apply to a sitting judge who the government proposes to appoint to a position in another capacity, for example, a resident judge in the Supreme Court being appointed to the position of Chief Justice.
Any appointment, regardless of whether or not it is proposed that a sitting officer be appointed to another role, is regarded by this legislation for the relevant court and tribunal as a new appointment. There is no provision for what might be termed promotions. Accordingly, the executive would consult with the relevant committee on these proposed appointments in the same way as if the proposed appointment were for a non-sitting officer.
This bill ensures that, as my colleague Mr Seselja said in February last year:
… the public have the fullest confidence possible in the appointment of judges and magistrates and that the process is as open and as transparent as possible. By taking on board the advice from the legal affairs committee, it will provide another check and balance in the process and will allow greater public involvement in the procedure. By adding another layer of scrutiny, it provides another avenue of information to be provided to the government so that when it makes its decisions it is in the full knowledge that it has all the relevant information available and that no detail has been overlooked.
I commend the bill to the house.
Debate (on motion by Mr Corbell) adjourned to the next sitting.
Financial Management (Board Composition) Amendment Bill 2009
Mr Smyth, pursuant to notice, presented the bill and its explanatory statement.
Title read by Clerk.
MR SMYTH (Brindabella) (10.15): I move:
That this bill be agreed to in principle.
This bill has three main purposes: one, to place a ceiling on the maximum number of people who can be appointed to boards of the territory governed by the Financial Management Act as public servants; two, to preclude the appointment of a public servant as either the chair or the deputy chair of any such board; and three, to repeal the decision by the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation to appoint four public servants to the board of the Exhibition Park Corporation, which I will subsequently refer to as the corporation.
First, I need to provide some background to this bill. We all recall that the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation has been attempting for some time to bring all possible activities under his control. His actions concerning the board of the corporation are the most recent display of his arrogance in this vain, actions that he claimed were made in the name of microeconomic reform.
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