Page 1293 - Week 04 - Wednesday, 3 April 2019
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The need for a review of the Public Interest Disclosure Act 2012 has been discussed on many occasions throughout the Ninth Assembly. We have seen recommendations from both select committees that looked into the integrity commission, and we also note that the ACT government agreed to the review in their government response.
The government’s proposed amendment to this motion indicates that they have started the process for selecting an independent reviewer. This is a good first step in the right direction towards better processes in the territory. However, I note that the 2018 select committee’s recommendation was to have this legislation in place by 2020. I think it is highly unlikely that we are going to get there at the current pace. I hope things accelerate.
The government’s proposed amendment to my motion pushes back the time frame for the introduction of the final legislation until June next year. Whilst this is obviously not our preference, we are willing to support this so that at least we get something today. But to all the public servants that have called out unethical behaviour, or perhaps illegal behaviour, within the public service, I thank you. And to all those public servants that know of unethical or perhaps illegal behaviour taking place in the ACT public service, I ask you to let it be known that this is happening.
I believe there is an obligation on all public servants to not only act in an ethical way but also call out anything that they believe is unethical or illegal. That can be done through managers, but often a manager may not be the appropriate person. There are other appropriate channels and other opportunities for people to report such unethical behaviour. We in the opposition hear from public servants who contact us, often anonymously, with concerns about behaviour. We always respect their privacy, we always respect their confidence, and we always check the veracity of those claims.
My motion today and the amendment that I believe the government is going to put forward call for a review with similar parameters. The review should be independent and take into consideration the integrity commission and interjurisdictional reports like the Moss review. The review would consult stakeholders and take public submissions. Importantly, my motion has a defined early deadline for the review and legislation being presented in the Assembly.
I note with concern that the government’s amendment fails to provide a due date for the report. Instead, they only have to commit to providing an update by the end of the year. There is a risk that this open-ended date would push the introduction of the legislation and consultation back even further. I hope that the Chief Minister, when he speaks to this, will be able to give some assurance as to when he expects the final report to be presented.
The Canberra Liberals are committed to doing everything we can to ensure that we have integrity in the public service. It is my view that the vast majority of public servants operate with extreme integrity and dedication to the ACT. That is why it is disappointing when you get a handful of people that do the wrong thing and tarnish the reputation of everybody else. That is what makes it so important that we call out unethical or illegal behaviour when it takes place.
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