Page 1913 - Week 06 - Thursday, 8 June 2006
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detailed requirements for keeping disclosers informed about the progress of investigations.
The bill provides greater guidance about what constitutes a public interest disclosure, providing examples of conduct that is contrary to the public interest and emphasising that the disclosure must be about matters that affect the public interest. This means, for instance, that individual employment grievances that do not raise wider public interest issues would not be dealt with under the act and would instead be dealt with under grievance procedures established in industrial agreements or under the Public Sector Management Act 1994.
The bill also establishes a list of specified exclusions to the requirement to investigate a public interest disclosure, for instance, to ensure that public resources are not wasted on investigations and disclosures that are trivial or insubstantial or that could be dealt with in a better way. For instance, information concerning a work safety program might be more appropriately dealt with through an investigation under the Occupational Health and Safety Act 1989.
The bill clearly identifies which government bodies can be the subject of a public interest disclosure. A broad approach is taken, including all public sector agencies, statutory officeholders, territory authorities, territory-owned corporations and their subsidiaries and the Legislative Assembly Secretariat. The bill will require central agency coordination of a register of public interest disclosures and regular reporting to the Assembly about the number of public interest disclosures made across the government and how long investigations are taking.
More detailed information about the bill’s provisions is contained in the explanatory statement which I presented to the Assembly with this bill. I commend this bill to the Assembly.
Debate (on motion by Mr Stefaniak) adjourned to the next sitting.
Road Transport (Safety and Traffic Management) Amendment Bill 2006
Mr Stanhope, pursuant to notice, presented the bill, its explanatory statement and a Human Rights Act compatibility statement.
Title read by Clerk.
MR STANHOPE (Ginninderra—Chief Minister, Treasurer, Minister for Business and Economic Development, Minister for Indigenous Affairs, Minister for the Arts, Acting Minister for the Territory and Municipal Services and Acting Minister for Multicultural Affairs) (11.50): I move:
That this bill be agreed to in principle.
I am pleased to present this amendment bill to the Assembly. The purpose of the bill is to clarify the period the chief police officer is required to keep vehicles seized in relation to committing certain dangerous driving offences. The Australian Federal Police has
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