Page 2872 - Week 09 - Thursday, 13 August 2015

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ACT Emergency Services Agency—reform

MS PORTER: My question is to the minister for emergency services. Minister, I understand the Emergency Services Agency is currently implementing a reform agenda to better serve the ESA and the broader community. How is the ESA implementing this reform agenda?

MS BURCH: I thank Ms Porter for her interest in the emergency services of this city. The ESA strategic reform agenda, or the SRA, is the next phase of a reform process of our Emergency Services Agency. I spoke to some of this yesterday and I have no doubt that as we get to justice and community safety areas of the budget this afternoon I will have the opportunity to talk a bit more on it.

The strategic reform agenda will support the ESA to continue operating as a high performing emergency services organisation—indeed amongst the best in Australia—and it will position it to best meet the challenges of the years ahead. It will also enable the ESA to mature as a unified entity with four dedicated operational services.

Contrary to speculation from those opposite, the ESA will not be changing the four service chief officers; rather, the SRA seeks to create three new areas to better support and coordinate the agency’s enabling services. These new areas include: risk and planning to help create a safe community; governance, logistics and infrastructure management; and people and culture, which includes training, workforce planning and volunteer management.

The reforms the ESA are undertaking over the next five years will be targeted to: respect the identity of the four operational services whilst ensuring the ESA operates as one coherent whole; retaining operational excellence; embedding risk management, including corporate and investment decision making; investing in developing our senior leadership and people skills; modernising governance arrangements; and promoting an inclusive and supportive culture.

It is clear the ESA proposes to maintain the four chief service officers in addition to creating those three new areas: risk and planning; governance, logistics and infrastructure management; and people and culture.

The ESA has already undertaken extensive planning and consultation as part of this work and will continue to do that across staff, volunteers, unions and associations on any changes to the agency. The SRA will enable our Emergency Services Agency to become an even higher performing organisation, one that continues to improve the quality of service delivery for our community and meet the challenges in the years ahead. It will also enable the ESA to mature as a single entity, and this strategy has the government’s full support.

MADAM SPEAKER: Supplementary question, Ms Porter.

MS PORTER: How is the ESA consulting with and involving staff in these reforms?


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