Page 1118 - Week 04 - Wednesday, 20 March 2013
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government and has certainly provided information in the public arena in relation to an error between the human resource area of the corporation and those responsible for entering data into the annual report. We are still seeking further information as to how that error occurred. The advice I have to date is that it was a human error. We are working with the corporation and seeking further advice from the corporation in terms of their systems and processes, firstly to ensure that such an error cannot occur again and how this error did occur and how both the chair and the managing director signed off on something that was not correct.
MADAM ACTING SPEAKER: A supplementary, Dr Bourke.
DR BOURKE: Treasurer, could you tell us more about how this benchmarking process is conducted and does it take account of the complexity of this particular position?
MR BARR: Yes, I understand that the process that the ACTEW board undertook involved engaging a consultant to undertake some job sizing work, assessing against the Canberra executive marketplace, looking at senior public sector positions around this territory, and also looking at similar positions in similar organisations in other states and territories in Australia. As I have indicated in response to an earlier question, the benchmarking I have seen from 2010-11 showed that the salary that was originally published in the 2010-11 financial report was at the upper end but certainly within the range of what managing directors of equivalent public utilities are paid. The $855,000 salary package would appear to be above that.
MADAM ACTING SPEAKER: Supplementary, Mr Hanson.
MR HANSON: Treasurer, when was the error discovered, and is it the case that it took from 21 September 2011 to 19 March 2013, a period of almost 1½ years, for it to be disclosed?
MR BARR: No. I understand that the error was identified by ACTEW during the caretaker period last year. I received written advice from the chairman of the board on 8 March, and yesterday, being the first sitting day, tabled that advice in the Assembly.
ACTEW Corporation Ltd—managing director
MR SESELJA: My question is to the Chief Minister. On 27 February, in response to a report of the ICRC, you said that you had full confidence in the management of ACTEW Corporation. Yesterday, 18 months after receiving the 2010-11 annual report transmittal certificate from the chairman and managing director of ACTEW, the Treasurer tabled a corrigendum revealing that a disclosure error of almost a quarter of a million dollars had been made in a line item in the report disclosing the managing director’s remuneration package. Chief Minister, do you still have full confidence in the management of ACTEW Corporation? If yes, on what basis do you make that assessment?
MS GALLAGHER: I can certainly say that the shareholders have concerns with the management of this issue within ACTEW. I think they are separate issues—the issues
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