Page 4292 - Week 10 - Wednesday, 22 September 2010
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MR SMYTH: Minister, have you started an inquiry as to whether other areas of your department have appropriate policies, procedures and guidelines in place? If so, what have you found so far? If not, why not?
MR STANHOPE: Yes, indeed, I have had a very open and frank conversation with the chief executive of the Department of Territory and Municipal Services in relation to my expectations, and indeed—
Mr Hanson: Aren’t your conversations normally open and frank? Is that unusual, Jon?
MR STANHOPE: No, it is not. I have frank conversations with chief executives. But I have had a very good conversation with Mr Byles in relation to this particular issue. Indeed, one of the issues that I raised and discussed with Mr Byles was certainly a concern and a regret on my part as the minister that some of the issues that have been identified—very routine issues, and I guess that is the point: the majority of the issues are basic, routine issues that should have been dealt with as a matter of course.
It does raise a concern for me, a concern that I have expressed to the department and Mr Byles, about their internal quality assurance or assessment practice and methodologies. Mr Byles has undertaken to respond to me broadly around the steps that that particular department needs to take to ensure a far greater proactive capacity to be aware of and to respond to issues around quality and quality assurance within the department.
So yes, Mr Smyth, I have asked, and the department is responding to a request to ensure that department wide there is a far greater capacity within the department to stay abreast of and in touch with issues around quality and quality assurance.
MR SMYTH: A supplementary, Mr Speaker.
MR SPEAKER: Yes, Mr Smyth.
MR SMYTH: As Chief Minister, what actions have you taken to ensure that all ACT government agencies have appropriate policies, procedures and guidelines in place to manage their activities?
MR STANHOPE: We have a range of steps in place in relation to all of these particular issues. All of our reporting is aimed very much at ensuring that we are as transparent as best practice would dictate. If I were to go through the accountability and transparency mechanisms that are in place, I would start, of course with the provision of an annual report for investigation and review by members of this place, to ensure that our quality assurance systems are as they should be. I would work from that fundamental position of the delivery of a major report each year, through the annual report and all the subsidiary reports that every department and agency produces throughout the year, as well, of course, as the scrutiny available to members through this place.
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