Page 3267 - Week 09 - Wednesday, 23 August 2017
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(b) make public within three months of return of travel a reconciliation of all expenses incurred and activities undertaken by the ACT government for ministerial travel, including all expenses for staff, public servants or any other person accompanying a minister during any official travel.
I bring this motion to this place as, at its heart, it has a subject matter that is always relevant and always of interest to the community, in particular the media. Some of us here today do not need any reminders that Labor governments have been in power in this town for a very long time and, while some current ministers are new to their roles in this Assembly, it is quite logical to assume that a culture possibly remains that is a legacy of previous governments.
I personally do not dispute that every current minister has a basic understanding of the importance of the ministerial code of conduct and that this code of conduct underpins the integrity of this place and this government. What I would like to draw everyone’s attention to today is the importance of adhering to and acting in the interests of the code of conduct.
The code of conduct clearly articulates its intent and states, amongst other things, that ministers must apply the power and privilege of their office solely in the pursuit and the best interests of the people of the ACT. As we look at this in detail, point 3 of the code of conduct outlines the ethical principles set out for ministers. These principles include:
a. integrity
Ministers must act according to the highest standards of personal integrity and probity, and uphold the ACT’s system of responsible government.
Ministers must not use their position or information gained in the performance of their duties to gain a direct or indirect advantage for themselves or their families or acquaintances that that would not be available to the general public.
I draw everyone’s attention to the word “probity”, which should be at the forefront of reading that part of the ministerial code of conduct. At point 5.d it states:
Ministers must use administrative resources appropriately. Ministers must not permit public resources to be wasted or used in an improper manner.
This item can be fairly loosely interpreted. However, the best test is the pub test.
We have a fairly decent bipartisan arrangement in this place when it comes to sitting weeks and Assembly and committee business. As Mr Rattenbury said in debate yesterday, we respect people’s families and their commitments, we respect their personal pursuits and we respect their reasons for absence and take on face value the reasons given for such absences.
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