Page 3871 - Week 09 - Wednesday, 25 August 2010
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MRS DUNNE: A supplementary question, Mr Speaker.
MR SPEAKER: Yes, Mrs Dunne.
MRS DUNNE: Minister, what capacity will the review have to consider the potential for effective taxation reform which underpins a stronger and more diverse economy?
MS GALLAGHER: What capacity will they have? They will direct their work, Mrs Dunne. They will be ably supported. We have allocated a small budget to support them in that work. We expect that they will commission expert pieces of work, but I am leaving that to the panel.
Children—kinship carer support program
MRS DUNNE: My question is to the Minister for Children and Young People. Minister, in relation to the request for tender for the kinship carer support program 2010-13, I note from your media release of 17 August this year that Marymead has been awarded a contract of $40,000 for the provision of representation and advocacy for kinship carers of children in the care of the ACT executive. I would like to congratulate Marymead for being awarded that part of the contract.
Your media release indicated that the decision to award the contract was made by “the government’s independent procurement unit, Procurement Solutions”. Minister, were any of the people on the decision-making panel drawn from organisations or agencies other than Procurement Solutions? If so, from where were they drawn and did this in any way compromise the independence of the panel as you described it in your media release?
MS BURCH: I thank Mrs Dunne for her continued interest in kinship carers and for congratulating and recognising the work that Marymead does. Procurement Solutions is independent and is at arm’s length. If there is any question of it being compromised or not being independent, I take that as a slight on Procurement Solutions. I do not know the details of the people that were on the panel, but I have absolute faith and trust that a proper assessment was made and the right decisions were made. It was an open tender process. There were a number of bids, and there was one successful bid, and I stand by that.
MR SPEAKER: Mrs Dunne, you have a supplementary question?
MRS DUNNE: Yes. Could I ask the minister to get back to the Assembly in relation to who was on the panel? Can she also tell the Assembly what expertise did the panel have to make the decision that they made?
MS BURCH: I will take some advice and certainly bring back what I can.
MR SPEAKER: A supplementary, Mr Seselja?
MR SESELJA: Thank you. Minister, who were the people on the panel that made the decision to award the contract to Marymead and, particularly, what role do they have in their home organisations or agencies?
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