Page 1453 - Week 05 - Thursday, 1 June 2023
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Thursday, 1 June 2023
MADAM SPEAKER (Ms Burch) (10.00): Members:
Dhawura nguna, dhawura Ngunnawal.
Yanggu ngalawiri, dhunimanyin Ngunnawalwari dhawurawari.
Nginggada Dindi dhawura Ngunnaawalbun yindjumaralidjinyin.
The words I have just spoken are in the language of the traditional custodians and translate to:
This is Ngunnawal Country.
Today we are gathering on Ngunnawal country.
We always pay respect to Elders, female and male, and Ngunnawal country.
Members, I ask you to stand in silence and pray or reflect on our responsibilities to the people of the Australian Capital Territory.
Legislative Assembly—promotion of committee work
Statement by Speaker
MADAM SPEAKER: Members, I wish to make a statement in relation to the way committee chairs publicise their reports after they have been presented in the Assembly.
Recently, my attention was drawn to some social media posts publicising the work of an Assembly committee, which I would normally commend, but doing so in a way that promoted the party of which the chair was a member and, in doing so, implying that the report outcomes were largely party-led rather than by the committee and its members as a whole.
It is important that Assembly committees retain their non-partisan and independent role, and I would remind members that Assembly committees are established for the purpose of enhancing the scrutiny of the executive; examining and suggesting improvements to any bills referred to them; enabling the citizens of the territory to engage and participate in lawmaking and policy review; to enable financial scrutiny of the executive’s budget proposals; and to review the annual reports of taxpayer-funded agencies.
It is my view that we need more clarity on these matters and, accordingly, the administration and procedure committee will consider this in the current review of standing orders. In addition to consideration by the admin and procedure committee, I will be writing to all committee chairs on the matter, and I will be raising this at the next meeting of committee chairs.
Thank you, members; all committee members should be mindful of that.
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