Page 316 - Week 01 - Thursday, 11 December 2008
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guidelines were then drawn up by a conference held in the United Kingdom at Latimer House, Buckinghamshire in June 1998; hence the name. At the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Abuja, Nigeria in December 2003, the heads of government endorsed the recommendations of law ministers on the Latimer guidelines, which specify the commonwealth principles on the accountability of and relationship between the three branches of government.
These principles are a valuable bedrock statement of principles of governance and the government is pleased to commend them to the Assembly. It is, of course, worth noting that this proposed resolution and the adoption of these principles in the Assembly’s standing and sessional orders is a consequence of our agreement between the Australian Labor Party and the ACT Greens on the importance of collaboration and good government in the ACT.
In the ACT, we can be proud of our standard of governance. We can be proud of our independent institutions and the healthy relationship intention that exists between the three branches of government. In that sense, endorsement of these principles will have a different purpose and effect to endorsement in other much more troubled parts of the world. We are not a jurisdiction that sees the compromising of these institutions in fundamental and detrimental ways. Our judiciary is independent and respected. The executive and the legislature work through a healthy tension that provides for good governance overall in the territory.
The resolution undertaken in their first meeting by commonwealth law ministers in November 2002 highlights the diversity of countries which are members of the commonwealth and the diversity in their governance structures and human rights standards. In the government’s view, endorsement of these principles in the territory recognises a standard which in many, if not most, respects we already meet. Yet they will serve as a reminder of the standards of governance which we in this Assembly seek to maintain and against which we must continue to measure ourselves constantly.
I think that is what is most valuable in this proposed resolution. We state explicitly that these are the principles against which we seek to maintain the standard of governance in the territory and against which we will judge our ability to maintain a healthy democracy and one which has regard for each of the three arms of government—the executive, the parliament and the judiciary.
I note that Ms Hunter proposes to move a motion following the discussion and adoption of this proposed resolution to look at ways in which we can monitor implementation of or indeed adherence to these principles across the governance of the ACT. The government welcomes that proposed resolution and we will be supporting it when Ms Hunter proposes it.
In the interim, this proposed resolution seeks to give practical and ongoing effect to the principles that I think all members share in this place: an effective separation between the executive, parliament and judiciary; respect for and support of the respective roles each of these arms of government plays in serving the community of the ACT. I commend the proposed resolution to the Assembly.
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