Page 1294 - Week 05 - Thursday, 26 April 1990
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Before commenting on the recommendations of the report, I would like to thank my colleagues Mr Kaine, who chaired the committee before me, and Mr Duby, who was also an initial member of the committee, for their efforts during their term on the committee. I am sure that they would join me in expressing thanks to members of the committee staff who worked on this report - Ms Cheryl Scarlett, who conducted much of the initial research and who has since left us; Miss Karin Malmberg, who helped finalise the report; and, of course, Mrs Kim Blackburn, who did the final keyboard work.
While I am in a thanking mode let me also put on record, on behalf of all members who served on the committee, my thanks to those individuals and organisations who took the time and the effort to provide detailed submissions as well as presenting themselves to the committee during the extensive round of public hearings that were held. This subject created considerable interest in the community, and I trust that they will not be too unhappy with this final report as a basis for debate. It is not possible to please everyone all the time, but at least they have had an opportunity to make their views known.
The terms of reference given to the committee required us to look at the issue of self-government in four broad areas: financial arrangements between the ACT and the Commonwealth; the form of government most appropriate to the ACT; the method and practice, or conduct, of the election; and reserve powers retained by the Commonwealth especially relating to responsibility for further electoral arrangements, the size and structure of the Assembly, the size of the Executive, and the role and powers of the Governor-General. Let me now address each of these four broad areas in turn.
The committee heard a lot of evidence about the form of government most appropriate to the ACT. However, what is abundantly clear is that now that the Federal politicians have passed us the self-government ball they are really not in any mood to take any of the responsibility back. This means that some of the suggestions for a municipal-style council with responsibility for education, health, police and the court system are not possible.
This factor was one of the major reasons why I saw no value in supporting any change in the form of government we have now. It is up to us to make it work to the best of our ability. However, the committee has recommended some areas where greater control over some matters relating to our Government should be given to the Assembly as the elected voice of the residents of the ACT.
The constitutionality or otherwise of the form of self-government given to us by the Federal Parliament has been raised at various times, both before and after the establishment of this Assembly. I do not propose today to go into the details of the arguments we considered, but you will find them in chapter 3.
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