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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 13 Hansard (4 December) . . Page.. 4576 ..

MR CORBELL: Mr Speaker, my question is to the Attorney-General. Attorney-General, in relation to your new regulation relating to government-funded political advertising in the six months prior to an Assembly election, will you outline what steps the Government has taken to advise government departments, authorities and Territory-owned corporations of this policy, and specifically will you tell the house how this advice was given and when?

MR HUMPHRIES: Mr Speaker, Mr Corbell might not be aware, but members opposite who have been in government will be aware, that when governments make decisions in Cabinet there is a minute secretary at the Cabinet meetings and, indeed, generally the head of the Chief Minister's Department also attends the Cabinet meetings. Decisions which affect areas of government are then taken away from the Cabinet room and relayed to the necessary areas of government. That is not a great surprise, I am sure, Mr Corbell.

In this case, I understand that that was the situation as well; that the decision taken by Cabinet sometime last month - I think, in the early part of last month - to adopt that position was recorded at a Cabinet meeting and the decision was taken by the officers who attend Cabinet meetings back, in part, to each area of government. I understand that that decision was conveyed to the heads of agencies, as is usual, or to officers within the offices of the heads of agencies. They, in turn, are expected to disseminate the information to various areas of government where publications might be produced or authorised for publication.

In addition, I know that a number of officers in other areas had the issue discussed with them. Certainly, I consulted all of my agency heads and asked them whether there would be any problem in implementing this policy when it was adopted. They advised me that they would take steps to ensure that it was satisfactorily implemented. As far as I am aware, that was done within those areas. Mr Speaker, obviously, it is unfortunate that one area of government did not get the message, or at least did not have the message in time to be able to prevent this from happening in this case.

I realise that members opposite are very quick to condemn in those circumstances; but, in any large organisation like government, those problems will occur. When a decision like that is made, if someone does make a mistake further down the line, somewhere in the very large body of people who make up the very dedicated Public Service of the ACT, it seems hardly reasonable to make a huge issue out of that mistake. This mistake was made, apparently, in complete honesty. They were attempting to comply with what they thought was the direction that had been given. They duly took out photographs of the Minister for Health, but omitted to remove one of me. If you think this is a big Federal issue, Mr Corbell, go ahead and make an issue for the election - - -

Mrs Carnell: But your name is not even on it.

MR HUMPHRIES: My name is not even on it.

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