Page 1301 - Week 04 - Tuesday, 27 March 2012
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MR SMYTH: Thank you, Mr Speaker, for that. Minister, what is the nature of, as mentioned, any proposals for restructuring which were mentioned by the former Minister for Territory and Municipal Services?
MS GALLAGHER: At this point in time there is no restructuring of the fire management unit but I am not going to stand here and rule it out for ever, either. These, again, are matters that we usually delegate to the directors-general of agencies to manage areas within their portfolio responsibilities.
But at this point in time there are no plans on the table to restructure the fire management unit. When and if there are—when and if there are, Mr Smyth, you will be one of the first to know.
MR SPEAKER: A supplementary, Mr Seselja.
MR SESELJA: Minister, what independent evaluation has been undertaken of the role, functions and activities of the fire management unit? If there has not been any independent evaluation, why not?
MS GALLAGHER: I will take advice on whether there has been an independent evaluation. As Mr Seselja would know, there have been a number of reviews into the operations of Territory and Municipal Services. As to whether some of those investigations have looked at the fire management unit, I will take that on notice. Again, restructures within agencies are not unusual. In Health, they have restructured the whole portfolio in the last 12 or so months. This is a standard way of managing a large public service agency. I do not know what we are getting into here—whether the Assembly is going to start micromanaging restructures or not. But at this point in time there are no plans currently being considered or consulted on around any restructure of the fire management unit.
MR HARGREAVES: A supplementary, Mr Speaker.
MR SPEAKER: Yes, Mr Hargreaves.
MR HARGREAVES: My question to the Chief Minister is in the context of the strategic bushfire management plan. Has there been any change in the role of the FMU?
MS GALLAGHER: I think the decision was taken when Mr Corbell was the former minister, when there were some discussions about the potential restructuring of the fire management unit, to put those discussions on hold. Those discussions have not been reactivated, as I have informed the Assembly. But that is not to rule out any changes in the future. At this point in time all of the things I have said are correct. All of the statements the Attorney-General has provided on this are correct as well.
Open government
MR HARGREAVES: My question is to the Chief Minister. Chief Minister, last year you spoke of the government embracing an even stronger open government approach
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