Page 3471 - Week 09 - Thursday, 20 August 2009
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
probity, accountability, honesty, integrity and diligence in the exercise of public duties and functions. Ministers will ensure that their conduct does not bring discredit upon the government or the territory.
This code provides guidance to ministers on how they should act and arrange their affairs in order to uphold these standards. It lists the principles that may apply in particular situations, drawing on precedent. The Chief Minister is not in the chamber at the moment, but I call on him to address this issue whereby one of his ministers has totally ignored most of the underlying themes of the code of conduct. I remind the Chief Minister of his statement in 2004:
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.
They were the Chief Minister’s words in 2004. The ball is in the Chief Minister’s court to show us his ability to ensure that his ministers abide by the code of conduct. I look forward to seeing what the Chief Minister intends to do about this.
MS GALLAGHER (Molonglo—Treasurer, Minister for Health, Minister for Community Services and Minister for Women) (3.24): I welcome the opportunity created by Mr Doszpot today for the Assembly to reflect again on the responsibilities and obligations we are all under as holders of public office in this place. It is only right and proper that the holders of public office in Australia are held to high standards of conduct. Our constituents demand it and our system of government works because of it.
It is entirely appropriate that members of parliament, and the ministers drawn from their ranks, are held accountable for their actions. There seem to be an increasing number of forums in which these accountability processes play out, ranging from the formal accountability processes of the Assembly to debate in the media, on the web and in the wider community. This proliferation is to be welcomed and encouraged.
Articulating, as it does, long and widely recognised conventions of accepted behaviour in Westminster parliaments, the code of conduct for ministers is undeniably an important part of the accountability frameworks of the ACT government. The code of conduct for all members of the Legislative Assembly for the Australian Capital Territory, embodied in the continuing resolutions of this place, is a similarly important document. Nobody could argue otherwise.
It is nevertheless a worthwhile exercise to reflect in detail on the standards of behaviour expected of all of us in public life. This MPI today is a good opportunity for us to explicitly reflect upon the standards by which we go about our daily duties as holders of public office.
The government remains committed to upholding the highest standards of probity, accountability and conduct. We have a strong record in meeting these expectations and obligations, and we will continue to do so. During this debate we should all reflect on the fact that the people of the ACT have placed the future of our city in the
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .