Page 759 - Week 03 - Thursday, 2 April 2020

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(2) the Committee be composed of:

(a) two Members to be nominated by the Government;

(b) two Members to be nominated by the Opposition; and

to be notified in writing to the Speaker within two hours of this motion passing;

(3) an Opposition Member shall be elected chair of the Committee by the Committee;

(4) in conducting public hearings, the Committee shall be mindful of the Public Health Emergency declaration, including that:

(a) all efforts are made to minimise the time witnesses are required to be present by scheduling designated hearing times, advising in advance which witnesses the Committee wishes to call or topics that will be discussed, and other measures that minimise impact on essential government, business or organisational resources;

(b) where a public hearing is scheduled requiring Government ministers and/or officials:

(i) these are to be held no more than once per fortnight for a maximum of two hours, with no directorate to appear for more than an hour;

(ii) the Committee must advise of the directorates and officers required and the Committee’s intended lines of inquiry no less than one week prior; and

(iii) hearings are not held at the same time as National Cabinet or a meeting of the ACT Government Cabinet;

(d) the above provisions only apply during the Public Health Emergency declaration; and

(5) for the purposes of this Committee’s operation, standing order 254D does not apply.

This motion has been—and I would say the Manager of Government Business, the government whip and the crossbench whip will all agree—quite a tiresome process to work through, but we have finally got to an agreement. The opposition certainly believes that a fast and immediate government response to the COVID-19 emergency is warranted but at the same time appropriate scrutiny should still prevail. This is not a time to throw democracy out. This is a time when we need democratic processes more than ever. The Assembly will seek to establish a committee that examines the government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing primarily on health and economic recovery but also any other areas that may be impacted as a result of the pandemic.

There are a couple of provisions in here which I will speak to just very briefly which are unusual and warranted, given that we are operating under a public health declaration. They are that the committee will make sure all efforts are made to minimise the time witnesses are required to be present for hearings; that public hearings requiring government officials or ministers will not be held more frequently

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