Page 1641 - Week 05 - Thursday, 11 May 2017

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Economic Development and Tourism—Standing Committee—Report 1—Report on Annual and Financial Reports 2015-2016, dated 2 May 2017, together with a copy of the extracts of the relevant minutes of proceedings.

I move:

That the report be noted.

This is the first report of the Standing Committee on Economic Development and Tourism. On 16 February, following the 2015-16 annual reports, sections of annual reports were referred to the committee for inquiry. That included, from the Chief Minister, Treasury and Economic Development Directorate, government policy and strategy, public sector management, coordinated communications and community engagement, economic and financial management, revenue and government business management, innovation, trade and investment, Innovate Canberra, Visit Canberra, property services, arts engagement, Access Canberra, ACT executive, construction occupations (licensing), the Commissioner for Public Administration, the state of the service report, and the Cultural Facilities Corporation.

I note that there was some adjustment in what was referred to the committee and some of the initial allocation to this committee was then referred to PAC for inquiry. I thank the government and also the chair of PAC for that last-minute adjustment, which I think found a better balance between what PAC and the economic development committee would inquire into.

The committee held two public hearings and heard from 29 witnesses from the relevant directorates and agencies. Thirty questions were taken on notice during the hearings, 45 questions were placed on notice after the hearings, and answers are available on the committee’s web page.

We have made 21 recommendations. In doing so I would like to commend the other members of the committee. I have been on a number of committees over a number of years. Certainly, in my eight years here, it was the most collegiate, cooperative and perhaps easy discussion and referral of a report. I thank members of the committee for their cooperation. I think we have achieved a genuinely bipartisan report that is of value to this Assembly and to the community.

I would like to thank the people who attended, including government ministers, and directorate and agency officials, both for turning up to the public inquiry and for providing timely answers to questions taken on notice. I would also like to thank the committee secretary, Mr Hamish Finlay, who again has been very efficient and very professional in drafting reports and supporting committee members. I commend the report to the Assembly.

Question resolved in the affirmative.


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