POINT TO FORUM PIECE BY ME PLEASE
“”Job for the mates” would cease in the ACT, Independent Michael Moore said yesterday.
Mr Moore was commenting on the Assembly approving in principle his Bill to make all appointments to statutory bodies through an Assembly committee and to be disallowable by the Assembly. At present nearly all appointments to statutory bodies are made by Ministers.
The Bill was opposed by the Labor Party, but agreed to by the Liberals.
The shadow Attorney-General, Gary Humphries, cited in the Assembly several cases of members of the Labor Party being appointed to bodies like the TAB and the appointment of Charles Wright as chair of the Tourism Commission. The jobs had sitting fees, he said. He asserted they had been appointed because party connections, not merit alone.
The Attorney-General, Terry Connolly, opposed the Bill, saying it would lead to American-style witchhunts by Assembly committees and an exposure of private lives that would stop good people from serving on boards.
Both Liberal and Labor reject judges and magistrates’ appointments going through Assembly committees and Assembly disallowance. Mr Moore has accepted this.
Now the Bill has in principal agreement, Mr Connolly said he would co-operate in working out details.
Mr Moore said that Ministers who made good appointments and were willing to consult with the Assembly would have nothing to fear.
Several new ACT positions had already been created under the principle of Assembly disallowance and these had worked well. However, no executive appointment had been through a committee hearing.
Mr Moore envisages several candidates being put to the committee including the Minister’s preferred candidate. There would have to be good reasons for putting up only one candidate.
He hoped heads of departments would be included, but acknowledged that Head of ACT Administration was a position created under Commonwealth law (the ACT Self-Government Act) and so could not be included.
“”If a Minister wants a trusted political adviser he or she could appoint an adviser who would not have to be cleared by the Assembly,” he said. “”Otherwise I would like a non-political public service.”