Page 879 - Week 03 - Wednesday, 18 March 2015
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
It simply beggars belief that the opposition has not said, “Well done. We’ve come to the end of this review. There is some confronting reading and confronting findings. What are you going to do to improve it?” What I have done is put out the blueprint for change, with its implementation plan, with an oversight committee to make sure that change happens.
The O2C report made a range of findings and recommendations, and they are wholly captured within this blueprint for change. Mr Smyth is disappointed by that. The TWU, who have clearly—as everyone here knows—got a copy of both reports, are not saying that one is sitting so far apart from the other; rather, they are saying they welcome the government’s action, they welcome the blueprint, they welcome the oversight committee and they welcome my absolute commitment to change. As I have said, to do anything else is simply not acceptable.
This report is about making sure that the change happens. ACTAS has grown exponentially. Its performance in our community, as I said, is almost second to none. It is important that the community continues to have the confidence it needs to have, and currently ACTAS enjoys that confidence of the community. But Mr Smyth wants to keep digging. He is not happy until he uses words like “toxic” and “shameful”—all the negative stuff that he can find, rather than joining with the TWU, the government and the commissioner and saying, “What do we do next to make a difference?” There were no comments in his 15 minutes around the recommendations and the way forward.
What I released this morning—it is available on the ESA website—was this blueprint for change. What became apparent to me during today’s discussions was that the draft implementation plan was not on the website earlier this morning, as I understand it, because I have asked for it to be put on the website during the day. This is a draft, because we have committed to go to the workforce and the stakeholders, to work with the TWU to make sure that that action plan is the right action plan. We will appoint an independent person to join the oversight group. We will finalise that action plan. And make no mistake: that will be delivered.
It concerns me that the TWU have—and I know they have, because we have seen the correspondence—released a copy of the O2C report to their members. I have expressed my sincere disappointment that the TWU have done that. Why am I disappointed by that? It is for the reasons that I have given. I have seen the O2C report. It is a confronting read. It is a very personal read for individuals concerned. The advice I had was that it would cause personal and professional damage beyond normal confrontation. If you are in a senior management position, a front-line position, if you are in a position where somebody can criticise your activities, that in itself is confronting. But when the advice is that there are serious problems with its public release, and Mr Smyth wants me just to release it, anyway—hooley dooley, as some would say—where would that put you if you were in this position? Would you—
MADAM SPEAKER: Standing order 42, Minister Burch.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video