Page 5577 - Week 15 - Wednesday, 9 December 2009
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parliaments such as ours, and that is what has happened here. I think the outcome that we have got is a good one. I think that, as Mr Rattenbury pointed out, this two-thirds majority endorsement will ensure that the person is beyond reproach and will ensure that there is a lot of confidence in the community, and obviously amongst all of the parties, in the appointment.
But it is an important reform. This is the critical change, I suppose. A lot of the other changes that came from the committee were clarifying in nature. This is the most substantive change, changing from the Auditor-General originally to a panel. There was substantial work done in drafting that, but we have come back, just in the last few days, to this. That is something we can live with and I think it is an important part of the process. I think the two-thirds appointment is an important step forward as well.
MR STANHOPE (Ginninderra—Chief Minister, Minister for Transport, Minister for Territory and Municipal Services, Minister for Business and Economic Development, Minister for Land and Property Services, Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs and Minister for the Arts and Heritage) (4.25): I do not wish to delay members on this unduly but I just want to make the point now, with the advice that this amendment will pass in its entirety—and we know that a two-thirds majority in this place requires all three of us—you will not be surprised in the future when you criticise a government advertising campaign that you do not like, which I am sure you will do, that the government will respond, “This advertising campaign was agreed to, supported by a reviewer appointed by the Greens and the Liberals.”
I am forewarning you that we might even stamp, on some of our advertising campaigns, just to put it beyond doubt, “This campaign was agreed to by a reviewer appointed by the ACT Labor Party, the ACT Liberal Party and the ACT Greens.” I am just letting you know, guys, from now on every advertising campaign will be a campaign supported by the Liberals and the Greens and we will be making sure that the whole of Canberra knows that.
Proposed new part 2A agreed to.
Clause 10.
MR SESELJA (Molonglo—Leader of the Opposition) (4:26): I move amendment No 8 circulated in my name [see schedule 3 at page 5628].
This amendment responds to committee recommendations 5 and 6 about production costs. The original bill indicated a threshold cost of $20,000. This was to avoid over-scrutinising advertising that could not have a political impact. It was based on estimated media costs and the ability to run a political campaign under the threshold and therefore escape any scrutiny at all. The full-page rate for an advertisement in the Canberra Times can range up to $12,000. A full-page advertisement in the Chronicle is about $3,000, depending on the schedule. The actual costs depend on the specific contract a purchaser has in place, which we do not know and cannot determine.
The committee heard that the government requested a limit of $100,000. The committee requested additional costing information from the Chief Minister with
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