Page 175 - Week 01 - Wednesday, 26 February 2014
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DR BOURKE: Chief Minister, what benefits will the capital metro project bring to Canberra?
MADAM SPEAKER: I am not sure. Is that within your portfolio? Yes, it probably is.
MS GALLAGHER: Thank you, Madam Speaker, and I thank Dr Bourke for the question. This is one of the major—
Mr Hanson: Madam Speaker, I ask on a point of order whether this is relevant. The question was very specifically about the salary being paid to the director-general of the Capital Metro Agency. It was quite a specific question. It did not go to the relative merits or not of capital metro. I just ask whether it is relevant to the specific question that was asked, and I can repeat that for you if it helps: Chief Minister, why did you approve a special payment of $89,000 and what criteria were used to conclude that this role was worth the same as the head of the entire service?
MADAM SPEAKER: Standing order 113B says, amongst other things:
… provided that the supplementary question is relevant to the original question or arises out of the answer given, contains no preamble … The Speaker may allow two further supplementary questions …
I would say that there was passing mention of the value of capital metro in the Chief Minister’s first two answers and therefore they are in order. Chief Minister.
MS GALLAGHER: Thank you, Madam Speaker. Capital metro is one of the priority projects for this government. It is a massive undertaking and it will transform the city from what we see today. It will address traffic congestion on the most congested corridor in the city and it will also assist us to change the way Canberra develops over time. I think this is a project that is supported by the community. It is not supported by the Canberra Liberals. It is appropriate that we employ the best candidates possible for this job. Why shouldn’t we? The best candidate was found during a merit selection process and we needed to pay the appropriate remuneration to secure that official’s taking up that position in Canberra.
MADAM SPEAKER: Supplementary question, Ms Porter.
MS PORTER: Chief Minister, what is the importance of providing appropriate remuneration for ACT government directorates and agencies?
MS GALLAGHER: It is essential to provide appropriate remuneration for all employees of the territory. We are a big employer in town and we as a government have always sought to provide appropriate salary increases for our public servants and to make sure, as much as we can in an area where the commonwealth government is a larger employer, that we are able to remain competitive with other public sector salaries. At times, that will mean paying large and high salaries for people to do particular work. That is something that all governments make decisions on from time to time, and the ACT government is no different. What is different is perhaps the
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