Page 4294 - Week 10 - Wednesday, 22 September 2010
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not complying with the legislation,” but we know that. We have agreed to that, and we have been very public about it. It is just a pity that the Auditor-General in her report did not say, “And we understand, of course, that the ACT government, along with every other government in Australia, has committed that by 2012 it will seek to ensure that 55 per cent of its infrastructure is compliant.”
Mr Smyth: She does say that, at paragraph 2.9, page 17. She does say that.
MR STANHOPE: Then you misled in your question, Mr Smyth. That is the point. So, yes, we accept it; we cop it. At this stage we are not fully compliant.
Mrs Dunne: On a point of order, Mr Speaker, the Chief Minister just told Mr Smyth that he misled the Assembly, and I would ask you to ask him to withdraw.
MR STANHOPE: I withdraw the “mislead”, but the question, then, of course, was only partially complete and had the capacity to be misleading in terms of the issue. I do withdraw.
Mrs Dunne: On the point of order, Mr Speaker, when you ask a member to withdraw, it is supposed to be an unqualified withdrawal. That was not an unqualified withdrawal.
MR STANHOPE: I just did that.
MR SPEAKER: Chief Minister, I think unqualified withdrawals—
MR STANHOPE: My initial withdrawal was not unqualified, but my second withdrawal was, Mr Speaker, as you know. But I will do it again, for the third time: I withdraw, Mr Speaker.
MR SPEAKER: Mr Smyth, a supplementary question?
MR SMYTH: Thank you, Mr Speaker. Chief Minister, what responsibility do you take, as minister, for your department’s failure by breaching this legislation?
MR STANHOPE: I accept full responsibility, as Chief Minister, as Minister for Territory and Municipal Services and as a minister generally, for the actions, the successes and the failings of my departments and those that report to me. Indeed, I accept, I would hope, the same level of responsibility that members of the Liberal government accepted when they were responsible for the administration of ACTION buses and indeed for the delivery of government services within the ACT.
I am happy to stand and accept my responsibilities. Many of those responsibilities are, of course, devolved through my chief executive, and through my chief executive to the General Manager of ACTION and to ACTION management. Through processes such as this place and the Auditor-General’s Office there are admirable opportunities to ensure that the administration of government is being delivered as effectively and as efficiently as possible. From time to time issues that might have been done better are identified. There are, of course, a number of those in relation to this particular
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