Page 3476 - Week 09 - Thursday, 20 August 2009
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MADAM ASSISTANT SPEAKER: Silence, thank you. Silence, Mr Hanson.
MS GALLAGHER: It says:
The ethical and effective working of Government in the ACT depends on Ministers having the trust and confidence of all their Ministerial colleagues both in their official dealings and in the manner in which they discharge their official responsibilities …
Ministers should ensure that their personal conduct does not adversely affect their ability or the ability of other MLAs or other public officials to perform their official duties, or adversely affect public confidence in the integrity of the system of government or public sector management …
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.
The code places entirely appropriate emphasis on our obligations and accountabilities, as members of the executive, to the parliament and to the people of the ACT. Again I quote:
All Ministers are to recognise the importance of full and true disclosure and accountability to the Parliament. Under the ACT’s Westminster-style system, the Executive Government of the ACT is answerable to the Legislative Assembly and, through it, to the people.
The code properly highlights requirements surrounding the use of public money and proper accountability for how ministers direct it. I quote again from the document:
Ministers will recognise that they have an obligation to account to the Assembly fully and effectively for all money they have authorised to be spent, foregone, invested or borrowed on behalf of the Territory.
The code similarly highlights the Westminster conventions surrounding ministers’ relations with the public service. I quote again from the document:
Ministers are individually accountable to the Assembly for the administration of their Departments and Agencies.
It says:
Ministers will assume that public servants will comply with the ethical requirements in the Public Sector Management Act 1994 and act in accordance with the Westminster convention of public service neutrality. Ministers will not ask public servants to engage in activities that are contrary to the principles and ethical obligations imposed on public servants by the Act or that may call into question their political impartiality.
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