Page 717 - Week 03 - Thursday, 21 May 1992
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
Chief Minister's Staff
MRS CARNELL: My question is also to the Chief Minister. In what parliaments in Australia other than the ACT Legislative Assembly do staffers have an entitlement to publicly owned vehicles? If there are any such entitlements, under what conditions are the recipients of vehicles employed? Are they seconded public servants, contract employees, or what?
MS FOLLETT: I thank Mrs Carnell for the question. I am not able to respond in the case of every parliament in Australia, but I can certainly advise that in the Commonwealth all staff employed under the Members of Parliament (Staff) Act, which is the MOP(S) Act, the equivalent of our LA(MS) Act, at an SES level or equivalent are provided with a privately plated vehicle under exactly the same conditions as the APS staff at that same level. So, it is clearly hardly an exceptional position that I have taken. I believe that the only exception that is made in the Federal Parliament is for media advisers, who have some separate arrangement.
I should also say that, unlike our own staff here, staff in the Federal Parliament also receive a fairly substantial allowance in lieu of overtime. None of our staff get that. Some of our more junior staff are entitled to overtime in the normal manner up to a particular level; but the majority of our staff, or my staff anyway, are not entitled to overtime. Nor does any such allowance exist. If members are trying to make out here a massive case of overpayment or some sort of extravagance, I think they are barking up the wrong tree. It is a fairly normal procedure that I have taken, and one which, as I say, is mirrored in the parliament over the lake.
Crane Drivers Dispute
MRS GRASSBY: My question is to the Deputy Chief Minister, and it concerns industrial relations. Has the FEDFA dispute been resolved as yet?
MR BERRY: I thank Mrs Grassby for the question. As I said to this Assembly the other day when members of the Liberal Opposition rose to attempt to politicise the dispute, it would be better if members kept their counsel in the course of this industrial dispute and let the parties get on with settling the matter. That approach that I suggested to the Liberals is now starting to show some signs of fruitfulness, because we have a situation where at least the parties have something to look at. The members of the union ultimately will have the opportunity to sort out their differences with the employer. They will consider a proposal which was thrashed out between the union and the employer.
Mr De Domenico: It took three weeks, though.
MR BERRY: Under what the Liberals are proposing it could take years.
Mr De Domenico: No, it would not. You do not know what we are proposing. It took three weeks.
MR BERRY: I know what you are proposing. I know what the Liberals are proposing. If you want to interject, you have to cop some of the flak.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .