Page 2178 - Week 07 - Wednesday, 3 August 2016
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working for the Chief Minister of the day. You would not have a situation where someone is raising concerns about probity within the ACT public service to somebody who quite clearly is not independent of government.
There is a very good reason why we create structures in the human rights space, integrity-type positions, as independent statutory authorities and as independent bodies. It is so that they do not have that conflict of interest that currently occurs. That is certainly no slight on the current incumbent of that position, whom I have nothing but respect for. But it is a problem that we have a position that compromises whoever is in there and will compromise anybody who wants to make a public interest disclosure or report issues of wrongdoing.
The concerns are extensive. The concerns that are being raised are numerous and come from many quarters. The media have raised significant concerns. This is not just the Canberra Times that Mr Barr is prone to attack. We have seen it in other print media publications, including the Canberra CityNews. I notice the RiotACT reporter in the press gallery. There are many people who will write in RiotACT about the concerns that they have about the probity around this government.
We have got the former head of the NCDC raising concerns. Mr Stanhope has raised concerns about the Labor Party. I think his comments are quite extraordinary. It goes to what is going on in the Labor Party and about the corruption: that the unions and the factions have corrupted the party. He is calling for an end to the rorting. He says that the factions have become a plaything of a handful of union-based factional leaders. He talks about the compromising position of the CFMEU and the Labor Party owning and operating pokie machines in this town. He says that it is morally unacceptable. This is a former Chief Minister talking about Labor Party members and the party structure and what they are doing being morally unacceptable.
He actually supported the trade union royal commission. He said that it was essentially something that needed to happen. Although the ALP will say, “That was not anything to do with us,” he makes a very good point when it comes to the dealings of the CFMEU: when Mr Barr’s local sub-branch is being run by the CFMEU, you cannot separate the two.
There is an integrity problem. There is a real perception of smell about this government. I call on this Assembly to act in a meaningful way to restore the community’s faith in government.
MR BARR (Molonglo—Chief Minister, Treasurer, Minister for Economic Development, Minister for Tourism and Events and Minister for Urban Renewal) (10.17): I move the amendment circulated in my name:
Omit all words after “That this Assembly”, substitute:
“(1) notes that the ACT Government has:
(a) established and supported the operation of a wide range of integrity and accountability measures, including the Ministerial Code of Conduct, Ethics and Integrity Adviser, Commissioner for Standards, and Public Interest Disclosure framework;
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