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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 14 Hansard (12 December) . . Page.. 5102 ..

CHIEF MINISTER FOR THE AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY

LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY QUESTION

Question No. 379

Strategic Plan

MR WHITECROSS - Asked the Chief Minister upon notice on 12 December 1996:

(1) How much money, in total, was spent on the ACT Strategic Plan, including staff time, administration, printing costs, consulting fees and advertising, if any.

(2) What time period (a) was used for the consultation process in regard to the ACT Strategic Plan and (b) how was it derived.

MRS CARNELL - The answer to the Member's question is as follows:

(1) The development of a strategic plan for the ACT was a joint ACT/Commonwealth initiative, with the National Capital Authority (NCA) as the Commonwealth's representative.

The project was jointly funded with a total budget of $960 000 (salaries - $500 000; operating -$460 000). The ACT's cash contribution to the operating costs of the project was $200 000. The salary costs of five ACT Government officers on the taskforce amounted to $280 000. Three of these officers were full time members of the taskforce, while the other two devoted 80% only of their time to the taskforce. The ACT Government also provided some office equipment, such as personal computers, photocopier and a facsimile machine, which remain the property of the ACT.

Of the $460 000, $292 338 was spend on consultants for a variety of tasks (see Attachment A for a breakdown). Expenditure associated with the preparation of the "Facing our Future" Report and the ACT Strategic Plan (Canberra: A Capital Future) is detailed at Attachment B, and totals $83 415. This includes all printing costs and advertising costs, in addition to other production costs, such as layout, editing, artwork etc. The balance of the $460 000 was expended on administrative items, such as accommodation, stationery, telephones etc

(2) The strategic plan is a product of a comprehensive round of consultation on issues and community values.

A Consultative Group was set up comprising people with strategic skills and expertise drawn from a range of interests within the community. The Consultative Group provided a `sounding board' and opportunities for feedback to the consultation process.

In June 1996, the taskforce released an information paper, Facing Our Future, which provided basic facts and figures about the ACT in the context of current policies and practices. It identified

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