Page 2105 - Week 08 - Wednesday, 9 September 1992
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MADAM SPEAKER: It depends entirely on whom I see first. In this case it was Mr Humphries.
MR HUMPHRIES: My question of the Chief Minister concerns her Government's paranoia with, and witch-hunt against, public service whistle-blowers. Is it true that a directive has been issued to all ACT Government Service officers, requiring them to inform Ministers' offices of every occasion that publicly available factual information is supplied to non-executive members of this Assembly? Will the Minister produce this directive, if it exists, and will she table it in the Assembly? Why has it been issued and why is the Government using public servants to assist her to spy on all non-executive members of the Assembly, including her own backbenchers?
MS FOLLETT: Madam Speaker, to answer Mr Humphries's quite ridiculous question in the shortest possible time, the answer is no.
MR HUMPHRIES: I ask a supplementary question, Madam Speaker. Does the Chief Minister mean no, she will not table the directive or no, there is no directive?
MS FOLLETT: It is his question, Madam Speaker. The answer is no.
ACTION Bus Drivers - Licence Testing
MR STEVENSON: My question is addressed to Mr Connolly. My information is that ACTION is testing drivers for licences in an inappropriate vehicle. These tests are done in-house, when other drivers in the ACT are required to be tested at motor registries. I believe that when ACTION use their own vehicles they issue licences in the HB, or heavy bus, category, which would be over 15 tonnes gross vehicular mass. I believe that in these cases the tests are being done not in heavy duty buses but in LBs - light buses under 15 tonnes. Apart from legal consequences that could possibly arise from this situation, there is also the concern for good driver training. I ask the Minister to please indicate what exactly the testing procedures are. Is there any reason for the apparent irregularities?
MR CONNOLLY: Mr Stevenson informed my office that he was interested in this matter. I have had the matter investigated. ACTION drivers have a very good safety record in this town and we are very well served by our fleet drivers. Indeed, last year an ACTION driver won a bus driver skills competition which was held in Adelaide and involved all municipal transport fleets in Australia. So the skill level is very high.
My advice is that all requirements of the national licensing system are complied with. But what Mr Stevenson says is correct. The final test is done on the standard ACTION bus, the non-articulated bus. Drivers do learner driving and practical driving in the articulated bus, but the actual tests are done not in the articulated bus but in the standard bus. I am advised that that is consistent with the requirements. What I propose doing is setting that out in writing, because it is a rather detailed issue that requires reference to several schedules of the national licensing provisions. I will pass that information on to Mr Stevenson. My advice is that we are complying in all regards. In so far as Mr Stevenson is concerned about the safety of Canberra citizens, I can assure him that the highest standards of skill apply within that organisation.
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