Page 331 - Week 01 - Thursday, 27 February 2014

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we have all these regulations and these rules to prevent shoddy building. We have thousands of pages but we still get shoddy buildings. It is just not working. It has to be hit from both ends: we have to be realistic about our expectations of what the territory plan can achieve and what plans can achieve, but we also have to be realistic in what we can reasonably implement.

I do not intend to waste any more of the Assembly’s time other than to simply thank Mrs Jones for this MPI.

Discussion concluded.

Administration and Procedure—Standing Committee

Reference

MS GALLAGHER (Molonglo—Chief Minister, Minister for Regional Development, Minister for Health and Minister for Higher Education) (4.43): I move:

That this Assembly:

(1) notes:

(a) the importance of ensuring a strong integrity framework is in place to support the work of Members of the ACT Legislative Assembly and to maintain community trust in our parliamentary processes;

(b) the recent implementation of the Members’ Code of Conduct and the appointment of the ACT Legislative Assembly’s first Commissioner for Standards;

(d) that the ACT does not have a public register of lobbyists or an accompanying code of conduct; and

(2) agrees to the Administration and Procedure Committee drafting a lobbyist register for the ACT Legislative Assembly, including an associated code of conduct, principles and guidelines for report back to the Assembly by May 2014.

This motion provides a good opportunity to discuss the importance of our integrity framework and move towards bringing greater transparency and openness to members’ interactions with lobbyists. A strong integrity framework is vital if the Legislative Assembly is to be effective in serving the ACT. The community has high expectations of us as their elected representatives and we are rightly held to high standards of accountability and integrity. If we are not able to demonstrate integrity in our actions, the community will be quite justified in withdrawing the trust that they have placed in us.

I have always placed great importance on government being open and accountable for its decisions and actions. I think this is reflected in a number of reforms which have strengthened the integrity framework in which we serve across government, but also

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