Page 2715 - Week 13 - Tuesday, 21 November 1989
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ACT Milk Authority
MR KAINE: I address a question to the Minister for Industry, Employment and Education. Minister, have you recently made appointments to fill two casual vacancies on the ACT Milk Authority? If so, on what date were the appointments made and could we be advised of the names and the qualifications of the people who were appointed to those two vacancies?
MR WHALAN: Yes, there were two vacancies on the Milk Authority, and appointments have been made. Before the appointments were made I referred the names to the Leader of the Opposition. He expressed reservations about one of them. Notwithstanding that, the Government proceeded to confirm the appointments. I do not have the exact date of the Cabinet decision that confirmed the appointments.
Basically, on a statutory authority such as this the Government aims to have an officer from the public service to represent the interests of the Government. I think that is the universal practice across statutory authorities. So one of the people appointed is a senior officer of my department who has considerable administrative experience and who occupies a senior and responsible office within the Administration. The other person is a community representative. In identifying the community representative a number of names were considered, and this particular person was finally selected. This person's qualifications are that - if gender is relevant - she is a female; a person who has demonstrated considerable leadership qualities; the chairperson of the school board of Hawker College; and someone who has demonstrated considerable skills in relation to that.
It may come as a surprise that the person is relatively young - indeed, 17 or 18 years of age. Some people may think that is a qualification which should be discriminated against on the basis of youth. That is not the view of the Government. The Government supports providing the opportunity for youth. I am confident that both of those appointees will well serve the ACT community in their period on the Milk Authority.
In relation to the actual date of the decision and the appointments, I will convey that information to the Assembly this afternoon or tomorrow, Mr Speaker.
Telecom Vehicles
MRS GRASSBY: Mr Speaker, on 16 November Mrs Nolan asked me the following question:
What action, if any, Minister, have you taken on requests from Telecom to have their station wagons, complete with rear compartment of
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