Page 3648 - Week 12 - Tuesday, 27 October 2015
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Our active transparency program also supports community participation and collaboration with government. This includes consultation and participation via the time to talk public consultation website and Twitter cabinet. We held our eighth virtual community cabinet in August this year engaging the public in real time through Twitter on issues that matter to them. In a world first this cabinet was also broadcast to over 500 people live via the periscope app, hailed by Twitter Australia as “a brilliant example of open government in action”. My government’s pop-up cabinet in Woden held in September was the first of many such pop-up cabinets and provided an opportunity for residents to meet directly with ministers and to have their say on local issues in person.
Another example of collaboration in practice is the completion of the annual ACT budget consultation process. This process involves an important opportunity for residents, community organisations, business groups, unions, peak bodies and others to share their views on where government spending should be targeted and how government services can be improved.
As an early initiative the ACT government is partnering with the federal Digital Transformation Office to improve the appointment booking system for community health centres with the aim of reducing waiting times and overcrowding. My own direct engagement with the community includes a continuation of what is an important Canberra tradition: Chief Minister talkback on ABC radio. That is not always comfortable for the Chief Minister of the day but it provides an excellent example and opportunity for people to have their concerns heard and acted upon.
Transparency in the Assembly is important and a strong integrity framework is essential to effectively serve the people of Canberra. When the Assembly adopted the Latimer House principles on the three branches of government, it committed to develop, adopt and periodically review appropriate guidelines for ethical conduct such as the code of conduct for members, the appointment of a commissioner for standards who ensures the independence in the investigation of complaints made against MLAs, the implementation of a lobbyist register and a supporting code of conduct, the appointment of the ethics and integrity adviser and reforms to public interest disclosure legislation which provide stronger protection for whistleblowers.
These integrity measures in this place are complemented by a range of activities underway to build a stronger ACT public service culture founded on integrity, and these include the continued rolling out of a code of conduct for the ACT public service. The service has also initiated a program to ensure that they respond to the needs of the community. The formation of Access Canberra and the asbestos task force are two examples of the government listening and shaping public sector priorities to meet the needs of the community.
Transparency is also enhanced through the most comprehensive estimates and annual report hearing process of any state or territory parliament in this country which, of course, is live, webstreamed through the Assembly website. We table ACT public service executive contracts. We have a notifiable invoices register. There are many
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