Page 2148 - Week 06 - Tuesday, 21 June 2011

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That this bill be agreed to in principle.

The former Chief Minister, Mr Jon Stanhope, noted in his presentation speech for the introduction of the Public Sector Management (One ACT Public Service) Amendment Bill 2011 that the move from chief executives to directors-general would require widespread consequential changes across the ACT statute book. The bill I introduce today—namely, the Administrative (One Public Service Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill 2011—contains the consequential amendments that Mr Stanhope foreshadowed.

Although this bill amends 178 pieces of legislation and is a weighty piece in its own right, the vast majority of its provisions relate to consequential changes in terminology to reflect the new structures the government has established for the ACT public service.

It does, however, contain transitional amendments to enable a smoother implementation of the single ACT public service agency structure. For example, the bill will enable directors-general to continue a matter or action commenced by a chief executive following commencement of the Public Sector Management (One ACT Public Service) Amendment Bill 2011. It also contains transitional provisions to facilitate the appointment of the first head of service consistent with the former Chief Minister’s announcement of the new arrangements on 24 March 2001. I commend the bill to the Assembly.

Debate (on motion by Mr Smyth) adjourned to the next sitting.

Select Committee on Estimates 2011-2012

Report 1

Debate resumed.

MS LE COUTEUR (Molonglo) (5.52): First, as well as thanking Mr Speaker, I must thank the many people who were involved with this report. First and foremost, I guess, Ms Grace Concannon, otherwise just known as Grace, who did a sterling job in turning a lot of things into what has become a pretty coherent report. I would like to thank also the other assistant secretaries, who did a great job. Lydia Chung also did a major job in putting it all together. Our committee chair, Mr Smyth, did a sterling and, at times, very witty job in terms of chairing the committee, and I thank also my other committee members, Ms Hunter, Mr Hanson and Mr Hargreaves.

Obviously, I will not go through all the recommendations, there being 194 of them. I do not think I have enough time, but I will go through some of what I see as the more important issues. I guess, firstly, in general this budget is very much a business as usual budget. It is very much the budget of a government that is continuing to go in the same direction. I have concerns about that. I have concerns that the future is not going to be the same as the past. We are coming to a situation with peak oil. Planning Canberra, developing Canberra in exactly the same way as we have been doing is not going to be sustainable in the long term.


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