Page 1611 - Week 04 - Thursday, 29 March 2012
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Answers to questions
Public Advocate of the ACT—annual report
(Question No 1988)
Mrs Dunne asked the Attorney-General, upon notice, on 14 February 2012:
(1) In relation to the 2010-11 annual report of the Public Advocate of the ACT, to what extent is the office unable to meet its statutory obligations due to staff reductions, brought about by the Government’s requirement for an efficiency dividend.
(2) To what extent does this inability to meet statutory obligations mean that the office is at risk of being in breach of its legislation.
(3) What changes to resources and funding are required to enable the office to meet its statutory obligations.
(4) What discussions have taken place with the Government in this regard and what has been the Government’s response.
(5) To what extent can and does the office decline to take on work that is above and beyond its statutory obligations.
(6) What matters does the office consider when deciding whether to take on that work.
(7) What relationship does the office have with other agencies, such as the Public Trustee and others, in terms of taking on that “above and beyond” work.
(8) Given the wide range of work done at a practical level by the office, does the office consider it has a role to provide policy advice to the Government.
(9) What policy advice, suggestions or recommendations did the office make to the Government during the reporting period and what was the Government’s response.
(10) In light of the percentage of children in out-of-home placements with kinship carers (55%), compared to foster carers (25%), is the Attorney-General able to say what the Public Advocate’s assessment is of relativity of the services provided by government for these carer groups.
(11) In relation to page 24 and given that 32% of children in out-of-home care were not sighted by a child protection caseworker during the reporting period, is the Attorney-General able to say what the Public Advocate’s assessment is of the effectiveness of the child protection service.
(12) In relation to page 25, is the Attorney-General able to say what the Public Advocate’s assessment is of the Government’s response to its previous adverse reports in relation to the number of young people leaving care without adequate planning and preparation.
(13) What was the quantum of the efficiency dividend and other cost saving measures that the office was required to achieve in 2010-11.
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