Page 1035 - Week 04 - Thursday, 22 April 2021

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also observed that the Clerk is the pre-eminent source of procedural advice and support for all Assembly committees and that committee secretaries exercise their functions by virtue of the Clerk’s statutory and parliamentary authority.

The committee wished to emphasise that any of the processes that are underway to assess the work value or other matters within the committee support function will continue under the direction of the Clerk and that nothing in the review being undertaken by Dr Laing will prevent the Clerk from exercising his management powers in connection with such processes.

Appropriation Bill 2020-2021

[Cognate bill:

Appropriation (Office of the Legislative Assembly) Bill 2020-2021

Cognate papers:

Committees—Standing—report

Committees—Standing—report—government response]

Detail stage

Schedule 1—Appropriations—Proposed expenditure.

Community Services Directorate—Part 1.8

Debate resumed from 21 April 2021.

MADAM SPEAKER: I remind members that in debating order of the day No 1, executive business, they may also address their remarks to executive business order of the day No 2.

MS STEPHEN-SMITH (Kurrajong—Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs, Minister for Families and Community Services and Minister for Health) (10.14): It may be a relief to members to know that I missed most of the debate on this yesterday because I was in a health ministers teleconference, so I will not be rising to the bait that I am sure was thrown in our direction in relation to the budget for the Community Services Directorate. Instead, I will simply be talking about what is in the budget and how important it is, how it builds on our achievements to date.

I wish particularly to highlight some of the measures in the 2020-21 budget that are targeted at addressing the needs and priorities of the ACT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community. Our government is, has been and remains committed to working in partnership with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community. We know that it is through Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander self-determination that we will achieve real progress in the ACT.

That is why, in our election platform, ACT Labor committed to establishing a $20 million healing and reconciliation fund to be administered in partnership with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community. The 2020-21 budget includes $317,000 which will support the initial work to establish the governance structure and


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