Page 3468 - Week 09 - Thursday, 20 August 2009
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remind ministers of the pledge they have made to this place and that they have a responsibility to the people of the ACT. The code of conduct is about accountability and it is about understanding that the executive is ultimately responsible to the people of the ACT through this place. It is also about respect, and I quote from it:
Ministers will treat other members of the Legislative Assembly, members of the public or other officials honestly and fairly, with proper regard for their personal dignity, rights, entitlements, duties and obligations, and should at all times act responsibly in their performance of their public duties.
When the Chief Minister introduced his amendments to the ministerial code of conduct in February 2004, the government of the time gave an assurance that it would rigorously apply the code. At the time, the Chief Minister emphasised that the values of fairness, openness and responsibility were the defining factors of his revised code. Back in 2004 the Chief Minister was adamant when he said:
… the government does not intend to simply adopt a code and think nothing more of it.
He went on to say:
I consider that the principles and standards set out in the code apply each day a minister is in office and are relevant to each decision he or she makes. The government will not back away from the code when it suits; we will stand by it and uphold its values.
Could it be that this government have been around too long? Have they forgotten what they signed up to again only 10 months ago? Have they become so complacent and arrogant that they feel they can simply disregard their obligations? The general obligations as stated in the code of conduct are as follows: respect for the laws and the system of government; respect for persons; integrity, accountability and honesty; diligence; and economy and efficiency.
I would like to focus in particular today on two of these obligations, obligations that go directly to the heart of claims made by one of the ministers of this Assembly in this place only this week. With reference to respect for persons, the code of conduct states:
Ministers will treat other Members of the Legislative Assembly, members of the public and other officials honestly and fairly, with proper regard for their personal dignity, rights, entitlements, duties and obligations, and should at all times act responsively in the performance of their public duties.
As to public references to individuals, the code states:
In the discharge of his or her public duties, a Minister will not dishonestly or recklessly attack the reputation of any other person.
The code refers to integrity and states:
Ministers will at all times seek to advance the common good of the community that they serve, in recognition that public office involves a public trust. In particular, Ministers will ensure that their official powers or position are not used
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