Page 1404 - Week 05 - Wednesday, 11 May 1994
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In summary, Madam Speaker, the Liberal Party will quite happily support Mr Lamont's decision to move that this Bill go to the public service committee. We look forward to that committee's deliberations and we feel sure that what comes out of that committee will be in the best interests of all concerned and of the people of the ACT.
MS SZUTY (12.18): Madam Speaker, other speakers this morning have mentioned that Mr Lamont will move to refer the Public Interest Disclosure Bill to the Assembly Select Committee on the Establishment of an ACT Public Service. This is a sensible move, as similar provisions have been included by the ACT Government in their Public Sector Management Bill. The committee is therefore best placed to examine effectively the provisions of both Bills, I believe.
I indicate to the Assembly that I support the concept of the types of provisions contained in the Public Interest Disclosure Bill. The concept has been supported by the Leader of the Opposition, Mrs Carnell, and the Liberal Party in general for some time. Mr Moore mentioned the earlier draft of the Bill that he and I were made aware of last year, if not the year before. That earlier draft was known as the Whistleblowers Protection Bill. I have not had time to revisit the contents of the Public Interest Disclosure Bill in the light of the earlier draft legislation and to compare the provisions of the Government's recently tabled Public Sector Management Bill. It is apparent that the Chief Minister, Ms Follett, has also not had long enough to consider the detail of the Bill. On that note, I welcome the move to refer the Bill to an Assembly committee, of which I am a member, and I look forward to further examining the issues.
I have listened very attentively to the speakers this morning, and I take Mr Humphries's point that we may not end up with one Bill, the Public Sector Management Bill; we may well end up with two pieces of legislation which this Assembly can consider. I have an open mind on the subject, and I look forward to further deliberation on the issues with my committee colleagues.
MR LAMONT (12.20), by leave: I move:
That:
(1) the Public Interest Disclosure Bill 1994 be referred to the Select Committee on the Establishment of an ACT Public Service, and that the Committee report at the same time as it reports on the Public Sector Management Bill 1994;
(2) upon the Committee presenting its report to the Assembly resumption of the debate on the question "That this Bill be agreed to in principle" be set down as an order of the day for the next sitting.
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