Page 2722 - Week 09 - Thursday, 8 August 2013
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Head of Service and the Public Service Commissioner, who understood fully that I felt that the Assembly had been let down in terms of an important accountability measure and that it needed to be fixed up very quickly.
MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Mr Hanson.
MR HANSON: Can you now assure the Assembly that we have received all appropriate contracts, that you have tabled them all, or are there any outstanding?
MS GALLAGHER: I understand there are some outstanding. I said in my tabling speech on Tuesday that I was endeavouring to have all current contracts brought up to speed and tabled in the Assembly by the end of this sitting fortnight.
ACT public service—disability employment strategy
MR WALL: My question is to the Chief Minister. Chief Minister, the 2012 State of the Service report states, in relation to the employment of people with a disability in the ACT public service, that as at 30 June 2012 people with a disability were represented by a headcount of 375. In the ACT public service employment strategy for people with a disability published in 2011, the figure targeted to be reached by 2013 was 506. That is a difference of 131employees. Chief Minister, can you explain why you are still so far away from the disability employment targets, as set down by your predecessor Mr Stanhope?
MS GALLAGHER: The reason behind setting targets is that you have a goal against which to measure yourself and to focus steps on achieving those targets. We did and we have I think led the way in many ways in implementing a diversity framework in the ACT public service and seeking to achieve the targets as they are set out.
I do not have the specific data in front of me, but we did touch on this during the estimates process in relation to employment of particular groups within the ACT public service. I think good steps are being taken to increase the numbers of people who have a disability working within the ACT public service, and we will continue to do that.
MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Mr Wall.
MR WALL: Chief Minister, given that the 2012 figure is 66 positions below target, are these figures just another aspirational target for your government to achieve?
MS GALLAGHER: They are a target that we are seeking to achieve but there is nothing wrong with aspirational targets either. A part of what you do when you diversify your workplace is make sure that you have a fixed target that directors-general and people making employment decisions can focus on and that you seek to reach that target. Just because you might not reach it does not mean you have been a failure. You can laugh, Mr Wall. I do not know what you find funny about that.
Mr Wall: I am concerned that you have not reached the 2011 target which you set.
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