Page 3310 - Week 11 - Thursday, 22 September 1994
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MS FOLLETT: Madam Speaker, I cannot indicate to the Assembly whether or not such an agreement was signed or whether, in fact, there was a particular arrangement made for this visit. But I can say that in the course of the business delegation to Japan there were a large number of occasions on which the officer concerned did, in fact, pay for parts of the Government's business - hospitality, dinners, all that sort of thing. If he did have cash arrangements to make those payments - and I cannot say whether he did or not - it would have been well and truly justified in the circumstances. Members will be aware that the allowances, all of the payments made, are subject to acquittal; indeed, this is how there was a repayment effected by the officer to Treasury. It is not his fault that it went astray. I have already said that it went astray in Treasury. So, again, I want it made very clear that there should be no slur on that officer. He has acted entirely appropriately. I have no doubt that, whatever forms are needed to be filled in for the operation of that card, it would have been done appropriately by him.
Department of the Environment, Land and Planning - Review of
Delivery of Services
MS SZUTY: Madam Speaker, my question without notice is to the Minister for the Environment, Land and Planning, Mr Wood. I understand that some weeks ago the then acting head of your department, Mr Greg Fraser, initiated a review of the processes used by the department in delivering its services. This review was to be undertaken by the assistant secretary of the Lease Administration Branch, Ms Moiya Haynes, with assistance from her branch and from Mr John Collins from Management and Technology Consulting. The review team sought to obtain the views of selected community groups on any matter relevant to the review - a request which required a substantial commitment of time by members of these groups. My question to the Minister is: Can he inform the Assembly when the consultancy for this review was let, for how much it was, and when details of it were published in the ACT Gazette? Given the substantial call on the limited resources of the community groups involved, can the Minister also inform the Assembly of when he intends to make the submissions to, and results of, this review public?
MR WOOD: Madam Speaker, the background of the inquiry goes back a little further than that, to the time when Mr Townsend, I believe, was then in the position of secretary of that department and was not acting in the other job. As to the actual time of engagement of a consultancy by Mr Collins and the cost of that consultancy, I will find out that information for Ms Szuty. It certainly has been a very comprehensive review. It has, as Ms Szuty said, involved people from groups with which the agencies in DELP frequently deal. It has been exhaustively handled within the department itself. I had a briefing, I think it was late last week, on the final stage of that review as it nears its completion. There is still some level of discussion within the agencies, as final thoughts are touted around, to get responses from the people involved. I believe it is close to finality now. As I guess there will be some outcomes, I will be able to indicate those to Ms Szuty and to others, and I will come back to her on the detail of the two questions she asked.
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