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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 10 Hansard (23 September) . . Page.. 3109 ..

MS TUCKER (continuing):

Further, earlier in 1997, 23 groups signed a letter to the Chief Minister outlining their concerns about the Government's lack of commitment to community input and their fear of intimidation if they spoke out. I seek leave to table a copy of this letter.

Leave granted.

MS TUCKER: While all is not well with community consultation in the ACT, the committee notes that the Government has taken considerable steps to improve the situation. On 20 February this year the Assembly required the Government to:

... develop protocols which will guide community reps and Ministers on their rights and responsibilities when serving, or overseeing, such boards and authorities; and

(4) ensure such protocols guide and protect community reps in their role of representing the views of their organisation in the wider community.

The committee also notes that during the debate on the matter of public importance about Government-community consultation, which resulted in this requirement, the Chief Minister acknowledged that there were problems with the Government's community consultation processes and that steps had been taken to address these problems through the establishment of the customer involvement unit. The committee is pleased to see that the Government is beginning to take seriously some of the complaints about consultation and is working towards improving the processes.

One such means is through the customer involvement unit in the Chief Minister's Department. The committee was briefed by the customer involvement unit. Many of the key elements of consultation described in the committee's discussion paper have been recognised in the work of the unit. For example, through a series of workshops involving community organisations and government agencies, the unit is coordinating the development of a consultation protocol and manual. The protocol, we were told, will set the guidelines for the strategies that government agencies will develop; the manual will reflect the protocol and will be a "how to" manual for government agencies. When finalised in October this year, all government agencies will work under the protocol. The customer involvement unit is at present assisting agencies with strategies for consultation.

The committee was also told that a register of consultations has been established to monitor the consultation occurring throughout the ACT. The committee is of the view that monitoring consultations is insufficient and that a coordinated approach to community consultation is required to ensure a consistent approach. The committee suggests that the customer involvement unit take on a coordinating role across government agencies. Its expanded responsibilities should include responsibility for instigating recommendations as to where community consultation should occur in overall government activity; ensuring duplication does not occur; acting as a resource for advice

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