Page 2475 - Week 08 - Wednesday, 13 August 2014
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It is not fair to say nothing has happened. If members took the time to read the administrative arrangements—they are online; search “administrative arrangements” and they will pop up—they will see for the first time in self-government that we are clustering agencies, directorates, where there are synergies and similarities between the functions. Indeed, they will see that there is the clustering of Environment and Planning, Territory and Municipal Services and Capital Metro. In addition to this, the Head of Service has spoken with directors-general about aligning work and work plans within those clusters to support improved synergies across the directorate.
So it is wrong to say that nothing has happened. There is a step towards further development of the one-government model. What I am more focused on in terms of the ACT public service, regardless of where a particular function sits within an agency, is: what does it actually deliver to the people of the ACT? That is what matters to them.
I do not know that there are too many Canberrans that go around reading the admin orders. Indeed, it is clear that perhaps those opposite have not paid a huge amount of attention to them. But Canberrans do care about what is delivered, what is the outcome, what is their interface with the government, was it easy, was it difficult, did they have to explain their story to three different directorates, or were they able to get their business done. That is what matters to the people of Canberra, and that is what I am focused on. These administrative arrangements made a step in the right direction.
I continue to liaise with directors-general and the Head of Service about further changes that can be made. I took individual advice from the directors-general of Territory and Municipal Services and ESDD prior to it being called Environment and Planning, and the response from both those directors-general was that they were putting in place ways to improve, I think, communication and delivery of the services that they are responsible for in what they would see as a virtual agency. However, I believe there is more that can be done.
I made commitments in the parliamentary agreement that I intend to deliver upon. But what cannot be done is that members of the non-executive cannot come in here and move motions directing me to do something which is not within their prerogative to do so.
The amendment that has been circulated in my name indicates that I am considering the establishment of a nature conservation agency in line with the commitment that I made in the parliamentary agreement. I will update the Assembly on the last day of sitting on how that is progressing. And I think that keeps the Assembly suitably informed. It makes it clear that there is work underway in this area. My commitment here today is that I will deliver on the things that I have signed up to, just as I have for every other item in the parliamentary agreement. I move:
Omit paragraph (2), substitute:
“(2) calls on the Chief Minister to consider the establishment of a nature conservation agency and report to the Assembly by the last day of sittings in 2014 on her deliberations.”.
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