Page 3601 - Week 12 - Tuesday, 22 October 2013

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keeping pace with the executive contracts. On the issue of whether they are signed or whether they are signed after, that is a work in progress, because again we are still cleaning up processes that were not in order over the last few months. The issue of the legality of the contracts is not in question: if they are not signed or if they are tabled or signed after the commencement date, and we went through that, there are sections in the Public Sector Management Act that ensure that, regardless of breakdowns in procedures, there is no question around the employment validity of those officers. Having said that, I am not trying to use it as an excuse to not make sure that the i’s are dotted and t’s are crossed as we tighten up these procedures.

Whether it is today or Thursday, there were some mistakes in some of the short-term contracts that I will update the Assembly on, in relation to about four of the short-term executive contracts. I am trying to keep the Assembly up to date. It is a work in progress.

MADAM SPEAKER: Supplementary question, Mr Doszpot.

MR DOSZPOT: Minister, when will you provide a detailed explanation to this Assembly on the action that you have taken and are taking to ensure that executive contracts are fully compliant with the Public Sector Management Act?

MS GALLAGHER: I have in the sense that I have spoken to the Head of Service, I have spoken to the public service commissioner. I have written to every minister drawing their attention to the breakdown in relation to tabling executive contracts because across government, when they come in through me, they are signed under other director-generals across the agencies. So I have written to ministers.

Further to that, I have highlighted the broader issue of compliance with territory laws outside of executive contracts. I have sought reassurance about compliance registers and steps that each director-general and directorate takes about making sure, where there is a responsibility to report to the Assembly, table documents in the Assembly or in general meet their legislative compliance framework, that is in place. So I have done all that on the back of identifying this weakness in executive contracts.

MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Mr Coe.

MR COE: Minister, when will you table the last noncompliant contract?

MS GALLAGHER: There are a number, I think over 100, dating back more than 10 years that have been identified that have not been tabled. It is now a question, which I have not got final advice on, I do not recall, over resources to try and find all of those contracts. Many of them relate to employees not currently working with the territory. I think we have to take a decision about whether we expend those resources to go back and find them all, where they are, identify them and table them. In terms of ensuring that contracts are up to date now, I think with the tabling of executive contracts this week we will be up to date with current employees.

MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Mr Coe.


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