Page 1556 - Week 05 - Thursday, 15 May 2014
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One of the key new relationships created in the officers of the Assembly act is between the officers and the Speaker. It is this change in relationship and a minor omission from the officers of the Assembly act which give rise to the need for this amendment bill.
The bill addresses inconsistencies arising from the officers of the Assembly act and will provide clarity in relation to financial matters affecting the officers. The bill achieves consistency across the enabling legislation for all officers and between the changes introduced by the officers of the Assembly act by omitting part 4 of the Auditor-General Act.
The removal of part 4 reduces duplication and clarifies that the Financial Management Act is the single point of reference for financial management matters for the officers of the Assembly. This clarity is important for all parties, including the officers, the Speaker and those who administer the Financial Management Act.
Part 4 of the Auditor-General Act also includes a section regarding the process by which the Auditor-General can request additional funding for certain purposes. Because this clause is proposed to be omitted, the bill makes a consequential amendment to the Financial Management Act to include this authority and apply it to all officers.
The government supports the intent of the consequential amendment. The current drafting in the bill, however, has the potential for some confusion, and we note and support Mr Rattenbury’s proposed amendments to address this. The proposed amendments ensure that for additional funding required by the officers, section 18 of the FMA, which is referred to as the Treasurer’s advance provision, is the single point of reference.
When the officers of the Assembly act commences on 1 July, it will delegate significant responsibility to the Speaker on behalf of the Assembly. This will include being the responsible entity for holding the officers accountable for fulfilling their requirements under parts 2 to 5 of the Financial Management Act.
To ensure that the new accountability arrangements do not impact the independence of the officers, the bill ensures that officers are responsible to the Assembly for the effective and efficient management of their functions. The government supports this approach to ensuring accountability to the Assembly for that management of those functions.
Under this arrangement, the mechanisms by which officers will be accountable to the Assembly would continue to be those applied to the officers in their statutory role—for example, through the established estimates and annual reporting processes.
The government supports the Officers of the Assembly Legislation Amendment Bill 2014. Indeed I would also like to acknowledge the collaborative work that has occurred across the Assembly, including the efforts put in by Madam Speaker, and in working with me and Mr Rattenbury to ensure that a smooth transition to these new arrangements occur on 1 July 2014. We also flag support for the amendments that Mr Rattenbury will move in the detail stage.
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