21 2011 - ANNUAL REPORT 2010 ACT LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY SECRETARIAT 2010–2011 ANNUAL REPORT SECRETARIAT ASSEMBLY LEGISLATIVE ACT
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 i Scan with a compatible mobile phone to visit our website
ISSN 1036-4390 (Print) ISSN 1835-0569 (Online) © ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat This publication is subject to copyright. Except as permitted under the Copyright Act 2003, no part of it may in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, microcopying, photocopying, recording or otherwise) be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted without prior written permission. Enquiries should be addressed to the publishers. First published September 2011 Published in Australia by the ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Civic Square, London Circuit Canberra ACT 2601 Australia Telephone 6205 0439 Facsimile 6205 3106 Email – [email protected] Web – www.parliament.act.gov.au Follow the Assembly on Twitter: ACT_Assembly Produced by: ACT Government Publishing Services Publication No 11/0941 Printed on 100% recycled paper
ii ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 Transmittal certificate
Shane Rattenbury MLA Speaker Legislative Assembly for the ACT Civic Square London Circuit CANBERRA ACT 2601
Dear Mr Speaker, I am pleased to submit to you this annual report on the activities of the ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat for the period 1 July 2010 to 30 June 2011. I hereby certify that the attached annual report is an honest and accurate account of the operations of the Secretariat during this period.
Tom Duncan Clerk Legislative Assembly for the ACT September 2011
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 iii Contents The Clerk’s overview vi The road ahead viii Section A – Performance reporting The organisation 2 Assembly proceedings 5 Procedural highlights 11 Interparliamentary activities 17 Financial report and management discussion and analysis 18 Analysis of the Secretariat’s performance 18 Section B – Consultation and scrutiny reporting Internal and external scrutiny 42 Legislative Assembly committee inquiries and reports 44 Legislation report 47 Section C – Legislative and policy-based reporting Risk management and internal audit 50 Fraud prevention 51 Public interest disclosure 51 Freedom of information 52 Internal accountability 57 HR performance 58 Staffing profile 61 Learning and development 64 Workplace health and safety 65 Workplace relations 67 Strategic asset management 68 Community grants/assistance/sponsorship 74 Territory records 74 Human Rights Act 76 Ecologically sustainable development 76 Appendicies Appendix 1 – Sitting days 90 Appendix 2 – Proceedings 91 Appendix 3 – Minutes of proceedings 92 Appendix 4 – Bills and amendments 93 Appendix 5 – Bills presented 94 Appendix 6 – Questions with and without notice 95 Appendix 7 – Chamber support services 96 iv ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 Appendix 8 – Attendant, security and facilities management 98 Appendix 9 – Committees – Seventh Assembly 99 Standing Committee on Administration and Procedure 99 Standing Committee on Climate Change, Environment and Water 100 Standing Committee on Education, Training and Youth Affairs 101 Standing Committee on Health, Community and Social Services 102 Standing Committee on Justice and Community Safety 103 Standing Committee on Justice and Community Safety (performing the duties of a Scrutiny of Bills and Subordinate Legislation Committee) 104 Standing Committee on Planning, Public Works and Territory and Municipal Services 106 Standing Committee on Public Accounts 107 Select Committee on Estimates 2011–2012 110 Standing Committee on Administration and Procedure 111 Appendix 10 – Committee Statistics Summary of Committee Statistics 1989-2011 116 Consolidated committee statistics 117 Hours of meeting 118 Number of referrals and ongoing inquiries 118 Appendix 11 – Reception and exhibition room statistics (bookings) 119 Appendix 12 – Hansard and transcription 121 Hansard activity 121 Hansard timeliness 121 Hansard accuracy 122 Appendix 13 – Broadcasting and IT 125 Broadcasting and IT 125 Internet & intranet-related activity 126 Appendix 14 - Library and referral services 128 Appendix 15 – Members of the Seventh Assembly 130 Appendix 16 – Office holders of the Seventh Assembly 131 Appendix 17 – Ministries of the Seventh Assembly 132 Appendix 18 – Remuneration of MLAs 134 Appendix 19 – Visits by members and parliamentary officers from other legislatures, delegations and other visits 135 Appendix 20 – LAMS Act statistics 136 Number of staff employment agreements processed 136 Number of non-executive MLAs’ staff employed at each classification at 30 June 2011 137 Appendix 21 – Activity of the Assembly Branch of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association 138 Appendix 22 – Education program 139 Appendix 23 – Financial statements and management discussion and analysis 140
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 v The Clerk’s overview It has been a year of considerable activity and achievement for the Legislative Assembly Secretariat, with the organisation continuing to provide high levels of service to support the Assembly and its committees. A number of major initiatives were advanced, including: commencement of legislative drafting work on a bill to enshrine the independence of the Secretariat and reflect its unique role in government service; completion of a trial Committees on Demand service which provides a searchable audiovisual record on the Assembly website of the proceedings of the Select Committee on Estimates 2011–12; financial processing services were taken back in-house from Shared Services Finance; finalisation of the IT strategic plan and endorsement by the Standing Committee on Administration and Procedure; preparatory work on the development of a Secretariat staff satisfaction survey; replacement of the Assembly’s desktop and laptop computers, accompanied by an upgrade of the standard operating environment to Windows 7 and Microsoft Office 2007; replacement of the broadcasting head end in anticipation of upgraded broadcasting capabilities in 2011-12; commenced using Twitter to communicate to the public details of chamber proceedings and other aspects of Assembly business; the Director of the ACT Library and Information Service and the Acting Clerk of the Legislative Assembly signed a service level agreement formalising the transfer of the Library from the management and direction of the ACT government to control by the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly; the Secretariat commenced a complete redesign of the Assembly Library intranet site which, once finalised, will provide enhanced online resources; a wide range of building and facilities management activities, including remedial work on fire penetrations, the refurbishment of parquetry at the members entrance and the refurbishment of lifts; expansion of security measures across the building with the installation of proximity pass controllers on Secretariat offices; and
vi ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 establishment of a community engagement working group to better integrate, coordinate and communicate engagement activities across the organisation. It was also a busy year in terms of interparliamentary relations, with the Secretariat providing considerable support to both the Australian Study of Parliament Group and the Australia and New Zealand Clerks-at-the-Table with their respective conference and workshop.
2010-2011 at a glance Committees—Supported 7 standing committees and 1 select committee; tabled 40 reports; held 57 public hearings; took evidence from 595 witnesses; received 208 submissions; and considered 139 statutory appointments, 64 bills and 376 pieces of subordinate legislation. Community engagement—Including facilitating visits from community groups and delegations; conducting public service seminars, school debates and facilitating the schools’ constitutional convention and Speaker’s citizenship evenings; totalling 1874 participants.1291 visitors accessed the replay of Assembly proceedings via Daily on Demand and the followers of the Assembly Twitter account received 75 tweets. Conferences—Facilitated 2 conferences on parliamentary procedures and practice. Legislation—Processed and arranged the notification of 50 executive bills and 5 private members’ bills passed by the Legislative Assembly. Performance—Members rated their satisfaction with the Secretariat as satisfied or highly satisfied in 69 out of 90 service delivery areas in the survey of members. Questions—Supported members in their scrutiny of the executive with 697 questions on notice and 1702 questions without notice. Staffing—Full-time equivalent staffing (FTE), by section:
Office of the Clerk 2.68 2 Chamber Support
11.37 12.12 Committee Office
Corporate Services
Hansard, Communications and Library 6.81 7 Strategy and Parliamentary Education
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 vii I would like to acknowledge the important role that the Deputy Clerk and Serjeant-at-Arms, Max Kiermaier, performed during the year, when he acted as Clerk for a considerable period while I was on long service leave. The Secretariat’s support to MLAs and the institution of parliament itself certainly continued to a high level in my absence and I thank Max for his contribution. The road ahead The coming financial year will see several major initiatives being pursued by the Assembly Secretariat.
New stand-alone legislation One of the most significant initiatives to be progressed in the forthcoming period will be the finalisation of a draft bill for the Speaker’s consideration to codify the independence and administrative arrangements that apply to the organisation. The framework will mirror legislative approaches in place across other Australian jurisdictions. If the bill is passed by the Assembly it will clarify several areas of uncertainty for the organisation and achieve greater adherence to the principles outlined in the Commonwealth (Latimer House Principles) on the Three Branches of Government.
Workplace surveillance In the first part of the forthcoming financial year the Secretariat will work towards achieving compliance with the Workplace Privacy Act 2011, which has a number of implications for the Assembly arising from the Assembly’s slightly idiosyncratic workplace environment.
Digital broadcasting The transition to digital broadcasting will be implemented in the year ahead and will provide the opportunity for the Assembly to upgrade its television cameras and related equipment and to enhance the quality and reach of its broadcasts of Assembly and committee proceedings. During the year ahead research will be conducted into the feasibility of installing new digital cameras and employing additional camera operators to enhance the production quality of broadcasts. The Committees on Demand service will be introduced on a permanent basis, albeit with limited vision in the first instance.
viii ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 Records management Work will continue on compliance with the Territory Records Act 2002. In particular, the Secretariat will be looking to implement an appropriate system to capture and manage our digital records in addition to our physical records.
Website redevelopment Some respondents to the members survey recorded their frustration with the existing Assembly website. The Secretariat will undertake a wholesale redevelopment of the website in 2011–12. Analysis of client requirements will be an important feature of the redevelopment project.
2012 election Although the next Assembly election will not take place in the forthcoming financial year, the Secretariat will be occupied in finalising committee reports and processing chamber documents and various other corporate and administrative processing related tasks in the lead-up to the interregnum. I look forward to working with all staff of the Secretariat in what promises to be a busy and interesting period for the organisation.
Tom Duncan Clerk Legislative Assembly for the ACT September 2011
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 ix
SECTION A Performance Reporting The organisation
The role of the Secretariat The Assembly Secretariat, headed by the statutory office of Clerk, provides procedural, policy and administrative services to the Legislative Assembly for the Australian Capital Territory, including business support services to non-executive members and their staff. The office of Clerk of the Legislative Assembly is established by section 46 of division 3.8 of the Public Sector Management Act 1994 (the act). Pursuant to section 54 of the act, the staff who are required to assist the Clerk in the exercise of the Clerk’s powers and the performance of the Clerk’s functions are officers employed under the act. Under section 53A of the act, those staff and the Clerk are specified as the Legislative Assembly Secretariat. Pursuant to section 46(3) of the act, the Clerk is not subject to the direction of the executive.
The Secretariat’s purpose The Secretariat’s purpose is established in its Strategic plan 2009-2014 as being: To assist the Legislative Assembly in fulfilling its responsibilities to the people of the ACT by providing high-quality services, support and advice.
The Secretariat’s approach As part of the Secretariat’s Strategic plan 2009-2014, the Secretariat identified a specific ‘approach’ it would take in delivering its services to meet the needs of its clients. This approach is set out below.
Professionalism We are knowledgeable, non-partisan and ethical in delivering high-quality services to support the Legislative Assembly.
Personal respect We always treat our clients and each other with respect.
2 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 Improvement We find practical ways to improve quality, value for money and personal effectiveness in everything we do.
Collaboration We build partnerships with each other and our clients to find the best way of meeting their needs.
Innovation We seek to shape the future by sharing ideas, valuing individual and team contributions and welcoming innovation. Secretariat’s goals The Secretariat identified the following five goals as part of its Strategic plan 2009-2014: 1. to improve services to the Assembly and its committees; 2. to enhance accountability and governance arrangements; 3. to build more effective mechanisms for public engagement; 4. to work towards an environmentally sustainable Assembly; and 5. to maintain a highly skilled, satisfied and committed workforce.
Structure The Secretariat is organised into five separate offices as follows: Chamber Support Office; Committee Office; Hansard, Communications and Library Office; Corporate Services Office; and Strategy and Parliamentary Education Office.
Chamber Support Office The Chamber Support Office is responsible for: servicing of the Assembly chamber, including the programming of business; provision of procedural advice and the publication and custody of the records of the chamber;
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 3 processing of legislation which has been passed by the Assembly for publication and notification on the egislationL Register as laws of the ACT; provision of attendant and security services for the Assembly; providing administrative and procedural support to the Standing Committee on Administration and Procedure and the servicing of the Standing Committee on Justice and Community Safety when performing its duties as a Scrutiny of Bills and Subordinate Legislation Committee; building and facilities management; and administration of interparliamentary relations.
Committee Office The Committee Office provides support services to standing committees and select committees established by the Assembly through: coordinating inquiry processes; providing research and analysis for committee inquiries; coordinating public consultation; drafting committee reports; providing procedural advice to committees; and supplying administrative support services.
Hansard, Communications and Library Office The Hansard, Communications and Library Office is responsible for: producing and publishing accurate and timely transcripts of Assembly debates and evidence given before Assembly committees; producing a daily audiovisual replay of Assembly proceedings; managing information technology for non-executive members and the Secretariat and developing ICT policies; managing the Assembly’s website and the Hansard database service; providing broadcasting and related technical services, and developing broadcasting policy for the Assembly and its committees; and providing Library information and reference services.
4 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 Corporate Services Office The Corporate Services Office is responsible for servicing and advising non- executive members, their staff, the Clerk and Secretariat staff in relation to a range of administrative, financial and human resource issues, including: financial and budgetary management; employment arrangements; workplace management; payroll; records management; administration of members’ entitlements; and aspects of corporate governance.
Strategy and Parliamentary Education Office The Strategy and Parliamentary Education Office is responsible for: parliamentary education; governance and strategic policy; risk management and business continuity; internal audit; fraud and corruption prevention; environmental monitoring and policy development; and the Assembly art program.
Assembly proceedings The Assembly Secretariat supports all facets of the Assembly’s operations, allowing members and the institution to perform effectively a range of accountability, representative and legislative functions. The following section of the report outlines the Assembly’s activities in the chamber and committees during the reporting period.
Chamber proceedings In 2010–11 the Secretariat provided procedural services to members and their staff, facilitating the efficient functioning of the business of the Assembly on 44 sitting days. The following table compares the chamber activity between 2009–10 and 2010–11.
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 5 Table 1: Chamber activity
2009-10 2010-11
Petitions presented 10 16
Questions placed on the Notice Paper 751 697
Pieces of subordinate legislation tabled 338 384
Bills passed and notified on the legislation register 66 55
Bills amended 25 24
Bills introduced 72 74
The appendices section of the report includes a full range of statistics and trends in relation to the business of the Assembly for 2010–11 and previous years.
Assembly committees Committees, supported by the Secretariat, contribute to the work of the ACT Legislative Assembly by inquiring into and reporting on a broad range of issues. Through the conduct of inquiries, the committee system aims to ensure that executive government is accountable to the Legislative Assembly and that members of the community have opportunities to participate in the governance of the territory. Committee inquiries can arise from direct referral by the Legislative Assembly, as a result of statutory requirements, or as determined by individual committees through self-referral. The Secretariat currently supports the following seven standing committees established on 9 December 2008: Standing Committee on Administration and Procedure Standing Committee on Climate Change, Environment and Water Standing Committee on Education, Training and Youth Affairs Standing Committee on Health, Community and Social Services Standing Committee on Justice and Community Safety (also meets as a Scrutiny of Bills and Subordinate Legislation Committee) Standing Committee on Planning, Public Works and Territory and Municipal Services Standing Committee on Public Accounts
6 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 A Select Committee on Estimates 2011–2012 was established on 10 March 2011 and ceased on 21 June 2011.
Committee membership The composition of all committees reflects the party configuration of the Assembly. A unique feature of the Seventh Assembly is that the majority of committees are chaired by non-government members, with only one committee chaired by a government member. In June 2011 membership of the committees changed significantly following a change in the ministry, resulting from the resignation of the Chief Minister. The membership and chair of all committees are listed at appendix 9.
Statutory responsibilities of committees In addition to inquiry activity, three committees have significant statutory responsibilities. The Standing Committee on Justice and Community Safety (in relation to its duties as the Scrutiny of Bills and Subordinate Legislation Committee) is required to examine all bills and proposed subordinate legislation to ensure that legislation does not unduly trespass on individual rights and liberties and complies with the Territory’s Human Rights Act 2004. The Standing Committee on Planning, Public Works and Territory and Municipal Services is required to examine all draft variations to the Territory Plan referred by the Minister for the Environment and Sustainable Development. The Standing Committee on Public Accounts, under its resolution of appointment, examines all reports of the Auditor-General which have been presented to the Assembly and monitors reportable contracts of ACT government agencies, and has a range of roles and responsibilities under the Auditor-General Act 1996.
Committee activity In the period 1 July 2010 to 30 June 2011 standing and select committees, supported by the Secretariat, met on 267 occasions, held 57 public hearings and tabled 40 reports in the Legislative Assembly. The following table shows a snapshot of overall committee activity.
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 7 Table 2: Committee statistics 2010-11
Number of SO246A statements made 21 Number of statutory appointments considered 139 Number of reports presented 40 Hours of site visits/tours/other meetings 14 Number of site visits/tours/other meetings 9 Hours of private meetings 162 Number of private meetings 201 Number of submissions 208 Number of witnesses 595 Hours of public hearings 192 Number of public hearings 57 Hours met 369 Number of meetings 267
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700
Comprehensive statistics relating to all Assembly committee activity for the reporting year are listed at appendix 9.
Government responses to committee reports The Secretariat continues to monitor the receipt of government responses to committee reports following the introduction of temporary standing order 254A – ‘Request for explanation concerning government response to committee report’. Of the reports tabled requiring a government response 45 per cent (10 of 22 reports1) have not yet been received. Excluding the six annual and financial reports, 14 per cent (three reports) received a government response within 90 days, 35 per cent (six reports) within 120 days, and 14 per cent (three reports) between 120 to 222 days.
Consideration of statutory appointments Section 228 of the Legislation Act 2001 (ACT) requires ministers to consult with Legislative Assembly committees on proposed appointments to statutory positions on certain boards and advisory bodies. Appointments cannot be made until the committee has responded or until 30 days have elapsed. In the 2010– 11 financial year committees considered 139 statutory appointments to a wide
1 This excludes Scrutiny of Bills reports and reports tabled after 30 March 2011
8 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 range of government bodies. This was an increase on the previous year – up from 106.
Significant reports Significant committee reports tabled during the reporting period included: Needs of ACT students with a disability (Education, Training and Youth Affairs) Love Has Its Limits – Respite care services in the ACT(Health, Community and Social Services) Inquiry into Calvary Public Hospital Options (Health, Community and Social Services) Inquiry into the Freedom of Information Act 1989 (Justice and Community Safety) Inquiry into Live Community Events: Final Report (Planning, Public Works and Territory and Municipal Services) Inquiry into ACT Government Procurement (Public Accounts) Inquiry into the ACT Auditor-General Act 1996 (Public Accounts)
Estimates 2011–2012 The Select Committee on Estimates 2011–2012 was established on 10 March 2011. Utilising the recurrent funding made available in the 2010 budget for expert technical assistance, the committee engaged ACIL Tasman to undertake a detailed economic analysis of the 2011 budget on its behalf. In 2011 the Select Committee on Estimates met for over 120 hours. The majority of this time (just over 90 hours across 11 days) was spent in public hearings with ministers and departmental officials. The committee received 18 submissions through its survey of community and industry representative groups, heard from 276 witnesses and sought responses to 894 questions on notice. Despite the committee’s requirement that ministers provide answers to questions within five working days, not all answers were received before the committee tabled its report, and the committee was subsequently dissolved. Questions that remained unanswered at the time the committee ceased were managed in accordance with temporary standing order 253A, which requires the Clerk to be provided with a schedule of outstanding responses within 30 days from the tabling of the estimates report in order that the Speaker may table the outstanding responses in the chamber.
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 9 During the estimates public hearings the Secretariat trialled Committees on Demand, an extension of the Assembly’s Daily on Demand service that provides searchable online audiovisual replays of Assembly proceedings. This was well received by members and their staff, ACT public sector workers and community groups. It is anticipated that Committees on Demand will be extended to future committee inquiries.
Standing Committee on Justice and Community Safety (performing the duties of a Scrutiny of Bills and Subordinate Legislation Committee) The Standing Committee on Justice and Community Safety Committee (performing the duties of a Scrutiny of Bills and Subordinate Legislation Committee) met on 17 occasions (a total of 14 hrs 1 min) and issued 15 reports and made two statements pursuant to standing order 246A. The committee considered: 64 bills; 376 pieces of subordinate legislation; 67 government responses; six private members responses; two regulatory impact statements; and government amendments to two executive bills. In addition to reporting on bills and subordinate legislation, other significant activity included: extending an invitation to all members to submit and have considered all proposed amendments to bills (two private members submitted amendments to an executive bill for the committee’s consideration); resolving to authorise for publication all ministerial correspondence and responses to bills and subordinate legislation prior to their being published in the committee’s reports; developing draft user guides for drafters of explanatory statements for bills and subordinate legislation; seeking comment from interested parties on the Criminal Proceedings Legislation Amendment Bill 2011; responding to an invitation from the Standing Committee on Public Accounts to comment on an exposure draft of a bill; and
10 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 preparing a report on the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law Regulation.
Standing Committee on Administration and Procedure The Standing Committee on Administration and Procedure met on 20 occasions. The committee’s main task was to set the program for private members’ and Assembly business but it also discussed matters relevant to the administration of the Assembly and reviewed and recommended amendments to certain standing orders. The committee also conducted one inquiry into an application for a citizen’s right of reply. The committee presented its report to the Assembly on 4 May 2011, in which it recommended that the right of reply be granted. The Assembly adopted the committee’s report on 5 May 2011 and the reply was printed in the Hansard for that day. Other matters discussed by the committee included proposed amendments to standing orders, members’ entitlements, procedures for dealing with claims of public interest immunity, the IT strategic plan, and question time procedures.
Procedural highlights
Suspension of sitting—national counter-terrorism exercise On 24 August 2010 a sitting of the Assembly was suspended at 3 pm (part way through question time) until the ringing of the bells in order to allow the Cabinet to meet as part of a national counter-terrorism exercise. Question time resumed at 4 pm. Standing orders were amended to allow for certain papers to be automatically authorised for publication. Prior to September 2010 only the reports of Assembly committees and their related papers, and reports of the Auditor-General were automatically authorised for publication upon presentation. Anyone wishing to view a copy of any other tabled document had first to obtain the permission of the Speaker, irrespective of how innocuous its contents may have been. Following consideration by the Standing Committee on Administration and Procedure, Mr Rattenbury successfully moved the following motion in the Assembly:
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 11 212A Unless otherwise ordered, the following papers are authorised for publication when presented to the Assembly: a) papers presented by the Speaker b) reports and discussion papers of standing and select committees of the Assembly c) papers presented pursuant to standing orders or resolutions of the Assembly d) papers presented pursuant to statute and papers presented by Ministers during the period in the daily routine of business for presentation of papers. (26 August 2010).
Leave of absence granted but pair refused A motion to grant leave of absence during the sitting fortnight to the Chief Minister (who was on holiday) was agreed to, however the opposition indicated that it would not grant a pair for divisions. (19 October 2010)
Complaint made against the Chief Magistrate—statement and paper by minister On 10 November 2009 the Attorney-General, by leave, indicated to the Assembly that a judicial commission would be established to investigate a complaint against the ACT Chief Magistrate (the Legislative Assembly has the power to remove from office a judicial officer if the report of a judicial commission makes certain findings). Following the subsequent resignation of the Chief Magistrate on 17 November 2009 the Attorney-General advised the Assembly that the judicial commission would not proceed. The Attorney-General, by leave, made a statement to the Assembly concerning the complaint raised in 2009 and tabled a copy of the emails and briefing material which had precipitated the original complaint against the Chief Magistrate. (19 October 2010)
Suspension of sitting—technical failure Having received advice that a technical problem was affecting Hansard’s recording of proceedings, the Speaker suspended the sitting until the ringing of the bells. Proceedings resumed 10 minutes later and the member who had been addressing the Assembly restarted his speech. (26 October 2010)
Perceived conflict of interest by chair of committee during inquiry The Chair of the Public Accounts Committee made a statement to the Assembly concerning the perception of a conflict of interest she may have in relation to the committee’s inquiry into a bill concerning ethical investment and the
12 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 shareholdings she had in a company active in this field. She stated that the committee had considered the issue and determined that no conflict of interest – real or perceived – existed. However, the Chair indicated that she would step down as Chair during that inquiry, and the Deputy Chair would chair the inquiry. (28 October 2010)
Statutory majority not achieved—motion negatived Standing orders having been suspended, a minister moved a motion (similar to one which had been negatived on 22 June) to appoint an Independent Reviewer of ACT Government Campaign Advertising (and an alternative). As the legislation requires that the appointments be approved by a two-thirds majority of members (i.e. at least 12 members), the Speaker directed that a vote be taken. Nine members voted in the affirmative and five against therefore the question was negatived. (28 October 2010)
Document quoted from by member—order to table In her answer to a question on notice, a minister referred to a document on which she was basing her answer. In accordance with SO 213, an opposition member moved that the minister table the document. The motion was agreed to, after debate, and the minister tabled a single page. Points of order were taken concerning whether the minister had tabled the complete document. The Speaker indicated that he would consider the matter and report back to the Assembly. Later that afternoon the Speaker stated to the Assembly that, based on a review of the Hansard and the tabled document, in his opinion the full document had not been tabled, and invited the minister to provide the rest of the document. The minister complied and tabled a second page, a graph. Another minister immediately referred to the propriety of ministers being required to table their briefing material and the effect this may have in future on the nature of material they may bring into the chamber and the impact this may have on their ability to provide informed answers to questions. (28 October 2010) Subsequently the Speaker stated to the Assembly that, while he agreed with the minister’s concerns and that documents sought to be tabled should be official or public in nature, rather than private speech notes and briefing papers, it was nevertheless open to the Assembly to insist that a document be tabled. During any debate invoking SO 213 the member or minister concerned should state the nature of the document being sought and reasons why it should not be tabled, including precedents with similar documents. The Speaker also stated that, in the event that a member is ordered to table a document being quoted
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 13 from on a laptop, the member should print that document and present it to the Assembly as soon as possible. (16 November 2010)
Motion to disallow fees determination Under the Legislation Act 2001 a member may move for the disallowance of certain subordinate instruments within six days of their tabling in the Assembly. The motion usually consists of a single sentence calling for the disallowance of the named instrument. A member moved for the disallowance of fees to be imposed under new liquor licensing laws. However, besides the disallowance terms, the member also included a paragraph calling on the Attorney-General to take certain factors into account when making a new determination. Although it is not desirable to include such advice in disallowance motions, the existence of House of Representatives and Senate precedents leads to the conclusion that the motion is in order. In the end the motion was amended to call on the fees determination to be reviewed rather than disallowed. (18 November 2010)
Appointment by Assembly of independent reviewer of government campaign material In accordance with the Government Agencies (Campaign Advertising) Act 2009, Derek Volker, a former Secretary to a number of Commonwealth departments, was chosen by the Assembly as an independent reviewer of all government campaign advertising over the value of $40,000. The act requires that the reviewer be appointed by a two-thirds majority of members, which means that all three parties in the Assembly – Labor, Liberal and Greens – must agree on the appointment. The role of the reviewer is to determine whether government advertising contains party political material. Every six months the independent reviewer must present to the Assembly a report detailing each proposed government campaign that was referred to the reviewer during the period, the campaign costs, the way that the campaign material was disseminated, the results of the review and the reasons for the reviewer’s decision. The reviewer’s first report is due to be tabled in the Assembly by the end of September 2011. (15 February 2011)
Declaration of incompatibility with Human Rights Act 2004 The ACT and Victoria are the only two jurisdictions in Australia that have enacted a bill of rights. On 15 February 2011 the Attorney-General tabled in the Assembly the first declaration of incompatibility with the Human Rights Act 2004. When a court decides that there is no way that an act or part of an
14 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 act can be interpreted in a way that is consistent with the Human Rights Act, it may make a declaration of incompatibility, which is required to be tabled in the Assembly by the Attorney-General. When this occurs the Attorney-General is required to respond to the declaration by the court within six months. In this way a declaration of incompatibility provides a trigger for further dialogue within the Assembly and, eventually, further dialogue between the court, the legislature and the executive. (15 February 2011) On 28 June 2011 the government presented a response to the declaration, indicating that as there were still outstanding court proceedings it was precluded from responding to issues around the application of the Bail Act 1992, but that it would make a further response to the Assembly once appeal proceedings in the court were finally concluded.
Officer of the parliament The Standing Committee on Public Accounts presented its report on its review of the Auditor-General’s Act 1996. One of the committee’s recommendations was: The Committee recommends that the Legislative Assembly’s Administration and Procedure Committee inquire into and report on the merit of establishing a framework that formally recognises Officers of Parliament, details the nature and terms of the relationship these Officers have with the Assembly and to the Executive, and highlights that their primary responsibility is to the Assembly. On 5 May 2011 the Speaker, as Chair of the Standing Committee on Administration and Procedure, informed the Assembly that the committee had resolved to conduct and inquire into and report on the feasibility of establishing the position of Officer of the Parliament as it might relate to the Auditor-General, the Ombudsman, the Electoral Commissioner and other statutory office holders.
Estimates committee On March 2011 an opposition member moved the usual motion to establish a select committee on estimates, with the committee being composed of one member of the government, two members of the opposition and two members of the ACT Greens, with the proviso that the Chair of the committee be an opposition member and that funds be provided for the engagement of external expertise to work with the committee to facilitate the analysis of the budget and the preparation of the report of the committee. A Greens MLA moved an amendment to the effect that the estimates be referred to the existing six standing committees. After considerable debate, the amendment was defeated and the select committee was formed, with an amendment that the Chair be a
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 15 non-government MLA. The committee subsequently elected an opposition MLA as its Chair. On Tuesday 21 June 2011 the report of the select committee was tabled. The report contained 194 recommendations and 894 questions taken on notice, together with answers that had been received. The following week the government presented its response.
Government responses to committee reports On Thursday 31 March 2011 an opposition member rose at the conclusion of question time and, under standing order 254A, sought an explanation from the Minister for Disability, Housing and Community Services as to why the Assembly had not yet seen the government response within the three months since the committee which he chaired had presented its report. The minister then gave an explanation, after which the opposition member moved that the Assembly notes the failure of the minister to respond to the Assembly by the required date. The motion was negatived after a division. On the next sitting day the government response was tabled. This was the first time this temporary order had been used since its insertion in December 2008. It was used again on 28 June 2011 for a different government response to a committee report that was outstanding after the three month period.
Citizen’s right of reply On 5 May 2011 the Assembly agreed that a citizen’s reply be incorporated in the Hansard, pursuant to the continuing resolution allowing a citizen’s right of reply. This is only the second time a reply has been agreed to since the procedure was adopted in May 1995.
Resignation of Chief Minister On 12 May 2011 the Chief Minister, Jon Stanhope, pursuant to the Australian Capital Territory (Self-Government) Act 1988 (Cwlth), resigned his office by causing to be delivered to the Speaker his resignation as Chief Minister. The Speaker then convened a special meeting of the Assembly on Monday 16 May 2011. During the 16-minute sitting a new Chief Minister was elected, with support from 11 of the 17 members of the Assembly. Ms Katy Gallagher became the third female Chief Minister (there have been six Chief Ministers since self-government in 1989).
16 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 Interparliamentary activities
Commonwealth Parliamentary Association The Assembly Secretariat provides administrative support to the ACT branch of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), including arrangements for the branch’s delegate to attend the 56th annual conference of the CPA in Nairobi, Kenya in September 2010 and the branch’s representative on the Australian Region Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians Steering Committee. When the scheduled Pacific parliament indicated that it was unable to host the 2010 30th Australian and Pacific Regional Conference of the CPA, the ACT branch, together with the Commonwealth branch, facilitated arrangements for the conference to be held in Canberra in November 2010. All conference sessions took place in the Assembly chamber. The ACT branch hosted a welcome reception, and the conference was opened by Mr John Hargreaves MLA on behalf of the Chief Minister. Mr Shane Rattenbury MLA presented a segment on ‘Climate change in the ACT – a perspective’, Mrs Vicki Dunne MLA presented ‘The ACT and the Murray-Darling Basin’ and Ms Amanda Bresnan MLA made a presentation on ‘Calls for documents and executive privilege’. Mr John Hargreaves MLA attended the inaugural Commonwealth Parliamentary Whips Network meeting in Pokolbin NSW in July 2010. The workshop was attended by whips from 14 jurisdictions, including eight from overseas.
Kiribati twinning arrangement The ACT Legislative Assembly is twinned with the Kiribati parliament under an arrangement agreed to at a conference of Presiding Officers and Clerks in 2007. Significant activities during the year included: In November 2010 Merrill Legal Solutions (MLS), the Assembly’s Hansard transcription provider, completed a project to assist the Kiribati parliament with its recording and transcription processes. The MLS technician installed a new For the Record digital recording system and improved the sound reinforcement equipment in the chamber. The project was coordinated by the Secretariat and funded by the CPA Education Trust. The Clerk of the Kiribati parliament was very appreciative of the assistance, stating that it would be an important benefit to Kiribati. Support, in conjunction with the CPA Australian Region secretariat, for Kiribati, Tuvalu and Tonga to be included in a UNDP parliamentary strengthening project.
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 17 A visit to Kiribati of a delegation (composed of two MLAs and the Deputy Clerk) from the ACT Legislative Assembly, in accordance with a resolution of the ACT branch of the CPA that a delegation visit be made once during the term of an Assembly. Provision, under the Chief Minister’s PC Donation Scheme, of 13 surplus computers following a hardware platform upgrade at the Assembly.
Other activities The Assembly also hosted a number of other parliamentary delegations during the reporting period. A full list is included at appendix 19.
Financial report and management discussion and analysis The Secretariat’s financial report and management discussion and analysis are included at appendix 23.
Analysis of the Secretariat’s performance A detailed analysis of the Secretariat’s performance is included below under each of the five goals included in the organisation’s Strategic plan 2009-2014.
Goal 1—Improve services to the Assembly and its committees
Re-establishment of internal financial processing function As reported in 2009–10, following a cost-benefit analysis undertaken during that year, the Secretariat decided to re-establish its financial processing in-house from early 2010–11, rather than continue with having those services performed by Shared Services Finance. To facilitate the re-establishment of the function, the Secretariat implemented a revised staff structure in the Corporate Services Office, broadly involving the creation of two new positions to take over the payroll and recruitment functions of two existing positions so that those existing positions could be fully dedicated to the finance and administration functions. In addition, the Secretariat made arrangements to implement its own financial processing software using the MYOB Premier product and to operate that
18 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 system in parallel to the Shared Services Oracle system for the months of July and August 2010 to validate account balances and ensure functionality. Following validation of those matters, the Secretariat formally withdrew from the Shared Services arrangement with effect from the end of August. The Secretariat estimates that the reversion to an in-house function has resulted in recurrent annual savings of approximately $130,000.
IT services Concerns continued to be expressed by some members’ offices about the standard and range of IT services and equipment provided by Shared Services ICT (SSICT). The Secretariat will continue to negotiate with SSICT to ensure that members’ concerns are addressed without compromising the integrity of the shared ACT government network. The network achieved high availability with few disruptions. SSICT has upgraded its infrastructure throughout the year to provide greater redundancy and has agreed to the Secretariat’s request that it delay critical maintenance on sitting days to avoid outages. SSICT commenced a pilot, in which all members and the Clerk were invited to participate, to trial the installation of iPhones on the ACTGOV network.
Assembly Library Satisfaction with the services provided by the Assembly Library continued at a very high level. The size of the Library limits its ability to provide specialised information and reference services, and Library staff have concentrated efforts on increasing the range, relevance and timeliness of its electronic resources. This may have been a reason for a reduction in the number of requests for information during the year, particularly from ACT public sector clients. This trend will be monitored. The Library has commenced a redesign of its intranet pages to make them more user friendly.
Hansard services Hansard continued to provide timely and accurate transcripts of Assembly and committee proceedings. Its services were complemented by the Daily on Demand system, which provides rapid access to the audiovisual record when the transcript is not available. This functionality was well received during the trial of Committees on Demand during the estimates hearings.
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 19 Procedural sessions To improve services to Assembly committees the Secretariat developed and implemented biannual procedural sessions for Departmental Liaison Officers and members’ staff to coincide with yearly estimates and annual reports inquiries.
Building and facilities management A major project for the Secretariat was the letting of a tender for the Assembly’s cleaning services following the expiry of the previous cleaning contract. The contract is the largest contract the Secretariat has and it attracted considerable interest. At the conclusion of an open tender process, a new contractor commenced providing services in June 2011. The chamber roof membrane and facade have had water leakage issues for a number of years. The Secretariat commissioned a report from a consulting engineer which identified a number of defects, remediation of which could not be provided for from within the Secretariat’s annual capital upgrade budget. A budget bid will be prepared for funding in 2012-13. Other notable activities during the year included: upgrading members entrance lifts; painting corridor areas on level 2; refurbishing parquetry at members entrance and lifts; replacing chilled and heating water expansion tanks; replacing sewer and subsoil pumps; undertaking remedial fire penetration works on ground and second floors; completing the replacement of thermal fire detectors with indicating smoke detectors across the building; refurbishing reception room kitchen facilities; engaging a consultant to gauge the potential to install a solar energy collection system on the roof of the building; and replacing all building clocks and synchronising them with the master clock system.
Arrangements for new MLA Following the resignation of Mr Stanhope in May 2011 and the subsequent election of Dr Bourke, staff of the Secretariat were involved with establishing temporary and permanent accommodation arrangements for the new member. Staff also delivered an induction program for Dr Bourke.
20 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 Security measures The electronic access control system, which already had been provided to members’ suites, was extended to Secretariat staff suites. An audit of break-glass alarms in the building was conducted and the location of each alarm was identified. With this information, the centre monitoring the building’s alarms is better able to respond. Contracts for the maintenance of the building’s security system and patrol and monitoring services were let following procurement exercises.
Asbestos The Secretariat commissioned an asbestos survey of the building and developed an asbestos management plan. The survey revealed asbestos in the vinyl floor tiles in some fire hose cupboards. Also, asbestos sheeting is presumed to be present in the external spandrels of the building and in some asbestos gaskets within the basement plant room. As the material is bonded and unlikely to be disturbed no removal action is proposed. The suspect fire hose cabinets have been labelled as containing asbestos material. Height safety equipment for working on the roof of the building was re-certified. The chamber roof was also equipped with a height safety system. A working at heights policy, which includes a working at heights permit system, was developed.
Legislative Assembly Art Advisory Committee During the reporting period, the Secretariat provided administrative support to the Legislative Assembly Art Advisory Committee. Headed by the Speaker, the committee is composed of MLAs, representatives of the ACT arts community and a Secretariat manager. A gift from former MLA Michael Moore has been included in the official art collection. The gift is a Geoff Pyror first edition ballot paper that was commissioned for the first Assembly in 1989 and it includes cartoons of all MLAs of that time. Four additional artworks were purchased in the reporting period. They are Allegro 2010 by Anna Eggert, Eventide II 2011 by Mel Douglas, Drawn Across 2009 by Jeremy Lepisto and A New Hero by Peter Vandermark. These new works were initially displayed on the ground floor, London Circuit, to provide an opportunity for public viewing. The works will be relocated in the forthcoming period to members’ offices and other areas of the building.
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 21 The ACT Legislative Assembly has a twinning arrangement with the Parliament of Kiribati. As part of that arrangement, that parliament has offered to the Assembly art works for display to recognise the significant relationship between the two parliaments. The Legislative Assembly Art Advisory Committee arranged for these works to be mounted and displayed in committee room 2, a publicly accessible part of the Assembly. The committee met on three occasions during the year.
Members survey The Secretariat again conducted a survey of both executive and non-executive members to ascertain satisfaction levels across a range of areas of service delivery. Despite the small number of respondents (as was the case last year, 50 per cent of members invited to participate did so), the Secretariat still finds the exercise useful in helping to identify particular areas where improvements can be made. The following table sets out satisfaction levels for different areas of service delivery2.
Table 3: Survey of members – comparison 2009–10 and 2010–11
Area of service delivery 2009-10 2010-11 Percentage of Percentage of respondents either respondents either ‘satisfied’ or ‘highly ‘satisfied’ or ‘highly satisfied’ satisfied’ Office of the Clerk Timeliness of assistance and advice with respect to the 100% 100% Declaration of Members’ Interests Quality and timeliness of advice on parliamentary 100% 100% practices, procedures, standing orders and legislation Quality and timeliness of secretariat support to the 100% 100% Administration and Procedure Committee Quality and timeliness of secretariat support and advice for 87.5% 100% the CPA Professionalism and impartiality in responding to inquiries 100% 100%
2 The figures are based on the number of respondents who indicated either a ‘satisfied’ or ‘highly satisfied’ response in relation to a particular measure as a percentage of the total number of respondents for that particular measure.
22 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 Area of service delivery 2009-10 2010-11 Percentage of Percentage of respondents either respondents either ‘satisfied’ or ‘highly ‘satisfied’ or ‘highly satisfied’ satisfied’ Supporting the chamber Timeliness and accuracy of chamber documents: Notice Paper 100% 87.5% Daily Program 100% 87.5% Minutes of Proceedings 100% 100% Timeliness and accuracy of procedures in the chamber 100% 100% Distribution of documentation within the Assembly 100% 100% Professionalism and impartiality in responding to inquiries 100% 100% Services provided in relation to questions on notice 100% 100% Advice and assistance in relation to petitions 100% 100% Timeliness and accuracy of television captioning 100% 100% Quality and timeliness of secretariat support to the 83% 100% Standing Committee on JACS when performing its duties as a Scrutiny of Bills and Subordinate Legislation Committee Attendant Services Standard of services provided in the chamber 87.5% 100% Quality of service provided in relation to security 100% 100% Quality of service in greeting and processing of visitors to 93.75% 100% the Legislative Assembly building Timeliness in relation to delivery and collection of mail 100% 100% Timeliness in the issuing of stationery 100% 100% Standard of service in relation to room bookings 100% 100% Professionalism and impartiality in responding to inquiries 100% 100%
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 23 Area of service delivery 2009-10 2010-11 Percentage of Percentage of respondents either respondents either ‘satisfied’ or ‘highly ‘satisfied’ or ‘highly satisfied’ satisfied’ Facilities and building services Timeliness of general maintenance requests within the 100% 100% Assembly precincts Assembly building cleaning/housekeeping services 81.25% 75% Assembly precinct’s gardens and grounds maintenance 100% 100% Professionalism and impartiality of staff responding to 100% 100% inquiries Hansard and transcription services Timeliness and accuracy of Hansard transcripts, including: Timeliness of Assembly transcripts Accuracy of Assembly transcripts 100% 100% Timeliness of committee transcripts 100% 100% Accuracy of committee transcripts 100% 100% 100% 100% Information technology IT support and advice services including: Ease in obtaining IT support and assistance 100% 100% Timeliness of IT support provided 100% 100% Standard of IT support provided 100% 83% Professionalism and impartiality in responding to 100% 83% inquiries Standard of IT equipment and applications provided 75% 67% Range of IT equipment and applications provided 67% 67% Speed of the internet service provided by InTACT N/A 67% Broadcasting and electronic publishing services Quality and timeliness of Daily on Demand 100% 100% (audiovisual replays of Assembly proceedings)
24 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 Area of service delivery 2009-10 2010-11 Percentage of Percentage of respondents either respondents either ‘satisfied’ or ‘highly ‘satisfied’ or ‘highly satisfied’ satisfied’ Quality and timeliness of Committees on Demand N/A 100% (audiovisual replays of estimates committee hearings [trial period only]) Quality of sound amplification in the Legislative 85.7% 100% Assembly chamber and committee rooms Quality of real-time sound and vision reticulation of 100% 100% Legislative Assembly debates and committee hearings Quality of support for broadcasting and multimedia 100% 87.25% systems, including television sets and VCRs Professionalism and impartiality in responding to 100% 100% inquiries Usability of Assembly websites, including: LAdotNET (new intranet site) – http://ladotnet 50% 83% Assembly website – http://www.parliament.act.gov. au 100% 100% Hansard website – http://www.hansard.act.gov.au Professionalism and impartiality in responding to 100% 87.5% inquiries N/A 100% Library and information services
Library opening hours (Library opening hours allow me to 100% 100% access information when I require it) Reference and information services including: Quality of information provided 100% 100% Timeliness of information provided 100% 100% Professionalism and impartiality in responding to 100% 100% inquiries
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 25 Area of service delivery 2009-10 2010-11 Percentage of Percentage of respondents either respondents either ‘satisfied’ or ‘highly ‘satisfied’ or ‘highly satisfied’ satisfied’ Current awareness services, including: Range of media items delivered to clients 100% 100% Timeliness of delivery 100% 100% Ease of locating resources: (Library intranet and catalogue 100% 100% are easy to find and use) Education services The seminar services and information provided by Strategy 100% 100% and Parliamentary Education Office The usefulness of the Members’ Guide 100% 100% The usefulness of the Secretariat’s annual report 100% 100% The usefulness of the Assembly newsletter 100% 100% Quality and availability of artworks N/A 75% Quality of the Assembly’s gift store N/A 86% Professionalism and impartiality in responding to inquiries 100% 100% Services provided to support committees The quality of liaison with your office on committee related N/A 100% matters (including arrangements for hearings) Timeliness in providing committee material (including 100% 100% hearing programs, questions on notice, correspondence from committees, television captioning of committee proceedings) The quality of procedural advice provided to your office 100% 100% Professionalism and impartiality of responding to requests 100% 100% for assistance The organisation of committee activities (meetings, 100% 100% hearings, inspections, study tours) hearings)
26 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 Area of service delivery 2009-10 2010-11 Percentage of Percentage of respondents either respondents either ‘satisfied’ or ‘highly ‘satisfied’ or ‘highly satisfied’ satisfied’ Quality of background research and advice (this may 100% 100% include summaries of evidence, oral and written briefings, issues papers etc) Quality of draft reports 100% 100% Timeliness in responding to committee requests for 100% 100% assistance, including draft reports and correspondence Finance and administration services Timeliness of processing members’ payments (e.g. 100% 86% members’ allowances, travel allowances etc) Presentation, content, accuracy and frequency of members’ 100% 83% entitlements reports Professionalism and impartiality in dealing with requests 100% 100% for assistance Timeliness and quality of support in relation to fleet 100% 100% management and maintenance of vehicles HR services Timeliness and accuracy of processing salaries (including 100% 83% requests for changes to pay details) Administration of employment arrangements for members’ 100% 83% staff Timeliness of responses to inquiries made 100% 100% Professionalism and impartiality of staff in responding to 100% 83% inquiries Ethics and Integrity Adviser Timeliness of assistance and advice provided to members N/A 100% Professionalism and impartiality in responding N/A 100%
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 27 Area of service delivery 2009-10 2010-11 Percentage of Percentage of respondents either respondents either ‘satisfied’ or ‘highly ‘satisfied’ or ‘highly satisfied’ satisfied’ Expert economic advice to the Select Committee on Estimates Timeliness of assistance and advice provided to members N/A 100% Usefulness of advice N/A 80% Value for money of advice N/A 60% Legal Advisers to the Standing Committee on Justice and Community Safety (performing the duties of a Scrutiny of Bills and Subordinate Legislation Committee) Usefulness of advice as reflected in committee’s reports N/A 100% Timeliness and usefulness of assistance and advice N/A 100% provided to the committee Twitter Timeliness of tweets N/A 100% Accuracy of tweets N/A 100% Professionalism and impartiality of tweets N/A 100% Matters of public importance—your Assembly @ work Timeliness of publication N/A 100% Accuracy of information contained in publication N/A 100% Professionalism and impartiality of information contained N/A 100% in publication Distribution of publication N/A 100%
28 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 Goal 2—Enhance accountability and governance arrangements
Clerk’s financial instructions and procedures The annual review of the Clerk’s financial instructions and procedures was completed in May 2011. The review mainly addressed issues identified through the internal audit conducted into travel procedures and changes to the arrangements in place for use of office vehicles.
Records management In previous years the Secretariat has reported on the work it has undertaken to address aspects of noncompliance with the Territory Records Act 2002 and associated records management directions issued by the Director of Territory Records. One major issue that had affected the level of compliance and the records management capacity of the Secretariat was the absence of records management expertise within the Secretariat to administer dedicated systems, to promote and review policies and procedures and to advise staff on records management matters. In early 2010–11 a new Records Manager role was created to facilitate a program of work aimed at achieving greater compliance. Recruitment action for that role was completed by October 2010. More detail on the activities performed and the results achieved during the reporting period in the area of records management is included later in this report.
Audit arrangements Details of the Assembly’s audit activities are outlined in section C of this report.
Business resumption planning During the reporting period work continued on the Secretariat’s business continuity arrangements, with a number of testing exercises performed in relation to the adequacy of planned responses in particular areas such as the establishment of a temporary business centre capability to be deployed in the event of a protracted IT network outage.
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 29 Fraud and corruption prevention During the reporting period, the Secretariat revised its fraud and corruption prevention framework to clarify procedures for investigating possible fraudulent or corrupt behaviour.
Risk management The Secretariat undertook a comprehensive review of its risk management framework and updated the policy that applies across the organisation in this area. Details of the Secretariat’s risk management activities are outlined in section C of this report.
Stand-alone legislation The Secretariat commenced work on developing a legislative framework, for consideration by the Speaker, to codify the roles and functions of the Secretariat as the support agency of the Assembly and to clarify its independent status within the broader government service.
Goal 3—Build more effective mechanisms for public engagement
Community engagement working group A community engagement working group was established in 2010, with representatives drawn from across the organisation, to build and strengthen community engagement with the Assembly. Since it was established the working group has performed an audit of the existing engagement initiatives in place across the Assembly and has developed an action plan setting out additional community engagement activities to be achieved. There are several dimensions to community engagement, and the working group identified the following four community engagement objectives as part of the engagement plan: 1. engage the community in the processes and proceedings of the Assembly; 2. enhance the community’s awareness and understanding of the roles and functions of the ACT Legislative Assembly; 3. facilitate increased community access to Assembly publications; and 4. facilitate efficient and effective retrieval of Assembly documents by the community.
30 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 The working group is now in the process of coordinating the implementation of the action plan, with the following initiatives completed over the last 12 months: Twitter – with the advent of social media, new opportunities have arisen to both interact with the public and to reach a younger audience to engage with the political process. An Assembly Twitter account is managed by the Secretariat, with regular tweets published on the business that is being undertaken in the chamber and the promotion of upcoming events such as public hearings for committee inquiries. Committees on Demand – the popularity of Daily on Demand has resulted in an expansion of the service to include an audiovisual archive of proceedings of the Select Committee on Estimates. Matters of Public Importance newsletter – published at the end of every sitting week and fortnightly during non-sitting periods and contains a summary of what happened in the chamber on sitting days for the week, committee work undertaken during the relevant period and visits to the Assembly and other activities coordinated by the education office. Members of the community can subscribe to the newsletter and receive it via email automatically after it is published on the Assembly website. The newsletter is circulated to over 100 external recipients. Your Assembly @ work newsletter – conceived as a communication vehicle specifically for schools. It is published four times a year and each edition is distributed via email to all schools – both public and non-public, from kindergarten to year 12 – in the ACT. Fact sheets – a major review of the Assembly’s fact sheets was nearing completion at the end of the reporting period and it is envisaged that the updated and expanded range of information will be launched early in 2011–12 primarily online through the Assembly’s website.
Online survey – committees The Secretariat continues to seek feedback regarding committee activities and community participation in Legislative Assembly committee inquiries, through an online survey. To date, over 130 responses to the survey have been received. Initial findings include: 42 per cent of respondents reported no previous involvement in a committee inquiry, citing reasons such as time constraints and lack of knowledge; 69 per cent of respondents reported having used the website for accessing committee reports, submissions and information regarding new or existing inquiries; and
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 31 59 per cent of respondents reported being unaware of the webstreaming facility for committee public hearings. The analysis of feedback received via the survey will continue to inform and assist with the development of mechanisms for public participation in the work of Assembly committees.
Community sector training To increase community awareness and encourage greater participation in committee inquiries a training workshop was developed specifically for community sector workers. The first workshop, held in May 2011, was well received and it is anticipated that the workshop will be held biannually.
Audiovisual material The extension of the Daily on Demand service to committees will provide another key link to the work of the Assembly. The broadcasting asset replacement and infrastructure upgrade plan also identifies further potential opportunities for the public to see and hear as well as read the work of the Assembly. Visits to the webstreaming and Daily on Demand sites increased during the year while usage of the Hansard website decreased. This may be indicative of a greater reliance on the audiovisual record. This trend will be closely monitored.
Additional hearing loops Hearing loops to assist hearing impaired visitors are installed in the public galleries of the chamber and committee rooms, and there is a microphone at the counter at the public entrance. Hearing loops were added during the year at the public and members entrances to the building.
e-petitions A project commenced with the aim of creating a facility for ACT residents to submit petitions to the Assembly electronically. A suitable model, which has been implemented in the Tasmanian parliament and is being considered by the House of Representatives, is one developed by the Queensland parliament. That parliament has kindly offered to license the program to the ACT Legislative Assembly for a token fee. Negotiations are underway between the two parliaments and SSICT regarding implementation.
32 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 Use of exhibition and reception rooms Both the exhibition and reception rooms received a great deal of use during the year, during and after business hours. A range of functions were held in these two key public spaces, including Assembly, government and community events. Usage figures are shown in the table at appendix 11.
Education and community engagement program Throughout the reporting period 1874 people visited the ACT Legislative Assembly as part of the education and community engagement program, with all programs being evaluated through a satisfaction survey at the conclusion of each program. The feedback from all participants is incorporated into future program development and delivery. In formal evaluation surveys that were conducted during the reporting period 99.71 per cent of participants indicated satisfaction with the education program. During the reporting period 99.71 per cent of participants indicated satisfaction with the education program in formal evaluation surveys that were conducted. During 2010–11, there were 108 instances of MLAs participating in visits arranged as part of the program. A table showing the number of visitors to the Assembly since 2008-09 and a detailed breakdown of all activities taken during the current reporting year is included at appendix 22.
School visits to the Assembly School visits are an integral component of the education program. Thirty three schools visited the Assembly in 2010–11 to engage in a range of educational activities which included participation in the interschool parliamentary debates program, the 2010 constitutional convention and visits by individual schools. Six hundred and twenty eight students visited the Assembly (visits by individual schools) and took part in a variety of programs, including mock elections, visits and role plays in the chamber and presentations on the role of the Assembly and attending Assembly sittings to watch proceedings such as question time. Teachers completed satisfaction surveys to assess the program and 100 per cent satisfaction was recorded. As in previous years, feedback also indicated that the materials provided were relevant and that the programs supported the current civics and citizenship curricula.
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 33 Students from Chapman Primary participate in a mock election as part of an education session run by the Secretariat and Elections ACT.
Interschool parliamentary debates The interschool parliamentary debates program provides students from years 8 to 12 with the opportunity to practise parliamentary debating skills in the chamber of the ACT Legislative Assembly. By participating in the debates within the Assembly chamber students are able to gain an appreciation of what members experience throughout a sitting day, as well as increase their understanding of the roles and functions of the legislature. Five interschool parliamentary debates were held throughout the year. One program was conducted for year 12 students, two programs were conducted for students in years 8 and 9 and two programs were conducted for year 10 students. The themes for the five debates were ‘school matters’, ‘youth matters’, ‘political and social issues’, and ‘environmental issues’. These topics were selected from the suggestions provided by students who had participated in previous debates in 2009. Three hundred and thirty four students from 20 ACT government and non-government schools participated in the programs.
34 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 The Speaker, Deputy Speaker and Assistant Speakers presided over the debates and provided feedback to students on their debating skills and how well particular arguments were presented. Students and teachers completed a satisfaction survey which showed that 99 per cent of participants were either ‘highly satisfied’ or ‘satisfied’ with these programs.
ACT schools constitutional convention The schools constitutional convention has been conducted in the ACT since 2000 and is a collaborative venture undertaken by the ACT Legislative Assembly, the Australian Electoral Commission and the ACT Electoral Commission, the Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House, the National Archives of Australia, the ACT Department of Education and Training and the Australian National University College of Law. The aim of the convention is to provide year 11 students with a comprehensive understanding of the Australian Constitution and the mechanisms by which changes can be made to it under section 128. The topic for the 2010 convention was ‘Australian republic – to be or not to be?’ and 70 students from ACT government and non-government schools participated in the event. At the event in 2011 five ACT students were selected to participate in the National Schools Constitutional Convention held at the Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House. The two-day event held at the National Archives, Museum of Australian Democracy and the ACT Legislative Assembly featured role plays, discussion groups, viewing of the original Constitution documents, and lectures and presentations on the powers of the Constitution and the means by which changes to the Constitution can be brought about. Student leaders from ACT schools (year 12 students) who attended the National Schools Constitutional Convention in 2009 assisted with all of the above activities. The ANU College of Law provides significant input to the program, with a number of eminent academics providing detailed information on the role of the Constitution and the referendum process. Students from the college assist year 11 students with discussions and deliberations around whether or not Australia should become a republic. The result of the 2010 convention was that a double majority was not achieved, the result being that the Constitution should not be changed to enable Australia to become a republic. A survey of satisfaction following the convention revealed that 100 per cent of students were either ‘highly satisfied’ or ‘satisfied’ with the event.
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 35 Speaker’s citizenship evenings (welcome ceremonies for new citizens) The Speaker hosted four citizenship evenings during 2010–11 for 184 new Australian citizens who had previously received their citizenship certificates. The aim of the evenings is to provide new citizens with an introduction to the workings of the ACT Legislative Assembly. Participants also have the opportunity to meet MLAs and to view One of a Kind, a captioned film about the Assembly. Participants also undertake an extensive tour of the building and participate in a question and answer session with the Speaker in the chamber. The results of a satisfaction survey undertaken at the conclusion of the event revealed that 100 per cent of attendees were either ‘satisfied’ or ‘highly satisfied’ with the event they attended.
Work experience students/internships Seventeen students undertook work experience placements or internships in members’ offices during the reporting period. Students were accepted from high schools, colleges, the Canberra Institute of Technology and the Australian National University. Members and students reported a high degree of satisfaction with these placements.
Official delegations Tours and visits to question time and other Assembly proceedings were held throughout 2010-11 for delegations from Australia and overseas, with 83 people taking part. See appendix 19 for details of visiting delegations.
Community groups Presentations to community groups about various aspects of the Assembly were made to community groups, including Probus clubs, the Adult Migrant Education Program, ACT citizens interested in the Assembly art collection and young people from the USA as part of the People to People Ambassador Program. Two hundred and eighty two people participated in this aspect of the program. One hundred per cent of participants were ‘highly satisfied’ or ‘satisfied’ with these presentations.
Seminars and presentations to government and non-government agencies Presentations and seminars were given to members of the University of the Third Age and the Centre for Democratic Institutions. Sixty five people participated, with 100 per cent of participants being ‘highly satisfied’ or ‘satisfied’ with these programs.
36 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 Public service seminars/tours/professional development activities Four major seminars for ACT public servants were held during the reporting period. The topics covered in the seminars included the role of the ACT Legislative Assembly, the importance of Assembly committees, the budget process and the legislative process. One hundred public servants from a wide range of ACT government agencies attended, with 100 per cent of participants indicating that they were either ‘satisfied’ or ‘highly satisfied’ with these programs. In addition, seminars, professional development activities, tours and visits to question time were held throughout the reporting period for recently appointed ACT graduates, Indigenous trainees entering the ACT public service, ACT teachers and recently appointed staff to the Assembly. One hundred and eleven people participated, with 100 per cent of participants indicating that they were either ‘satisfied’ or ‘highly satisfied’ with these programs.
Goal 4—Work towards an environmentally sustainable Assembly
Sustainability committee The Secretariat’s environmental sustainability committee continues its work in reviewing, implementing and monitoring cost-effective and evidence-based initiatives to improve the environmental sustainability of the Assembly. To date, the Secretariat has introduced a variety of measures which have reduced the impact of the institution on the natural environment and considerable improvements have been achieved. The committee continues to focus on practical measures that reduce the environmental footprint of the organisation. During the year the Secretariat commenced work to investigate the economic viability of solar production at the Assembly site and commissioned a consultant to undertake a preliminary analysis. The consultant provided advice that the payback period for a solar array would be in order of 11 to 17 years depending on the extent of future electricity price rises and a number of other factors. The Secretariat is monitoring developments in the electricity supply market, the average costs of solar generation and other, broader, areas of government policy before proceeding further with any particular proposal and, through the Standing Committee on Administration and Procedure, will keep the Assembly advised of any plans in this area.
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 37 Sustainability statistics The Assembly experienced an overall decline in the amount of greenhouse gas emissions during the year. This was a significant achievement – a 10 per cent or 111 tonne reduction in emissions over the previous year. Detailed statistics in relation to environmental sustainability are provided in section C of this report.
Replacement of domestic hot water system Domestic hot water in the building is provided by two electric units which are approaching the end of their expected working life. The Secretariat examined replacement options and has identified a solar evaporative tube system as a suitable replacement. The system is expected to be installed in early 2011–12.
ACTSmart Office The Assembly was again accredited by the ACTSmart Office program after demonstrating sound waste management practices across the Assembly building. The Secretariat conducted a well-attended training session in early 2011 to educate building occupants about how best to separate their waste into the designated streams and to maximise recycling and reuse efforts where possible.
Replacement of televisions In May 2011 the Secretariat invited quotations for the replacement of the Assembly’s analogue televisions. One of the key criteria was a very high energy rating reflected in a low kWh energy consumption. At the time of reporting the Secretariat was also investigating the most sustainable ways of disposing of the old televisions.
Goal 5—Maintain a highly skilled, satisfied and committed workforce
Staff satisfaction survey Work commenced towards the end of the reporting period to develop a survey of Secretariat staff to gauge satisfaction levels across a range of measures. The survey is scheduled to take place early in the new financial year and will guide the development of any additional strategies for ensuring that, to the greatest extent possible, the Secretariat workforce is skilled, satisfied and committed. Staff and managers will be provided feedback on the results of the survey.
38 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 Australasian Study of Parliament Group The Legislative Assembly continued to provide administrative support for the ACT chapter of the Australasian Study of Parliament Group (ASPG), with a member of the Secretariat staff undertaking the role of honorary treasurer for the chapter. In August 2010 the ACT chapter of the ASPG hosted the annual conference, with the majority of the sessions being conducted in the chamber of the ACT Legislative Assembly. A welcome reception was hosted by the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, Mr Shane Rattenbury MLA. The conference, which had a theme of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: Perceptions of Parliament, included speakers from academia and politics, and staff from federal, state and territory parliaments. Mr Jeremy Hanson MLA was a speaker in the debate entitled ‘Parliamentarians are just ordinary people. It’s the media that creates the impression of “the good, the bad and the ugly”’.
Participation in the activities of the Australian and New Zealand Association of Clerks-at-the-Table ANZACATT has members from each house of parliament in Australia, Norfolk Island and New Zealand, and publishes a half-yearly bulletin entitled Parliament Matters and a regular newsletter entitled Table Talk. Each parliamentary jurisdiction contributes to the publications. The association also organises an annual professional development seminar for parliamentary officers of the association. Two Secretariat staff members and the Clerk attended the January 2011 ANZACATT professional development seminar in Adelaide. The theme of the seminar was Beyond the Chamber—Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow with a focus on committees, privilege and procedure. Topics included executive action, the impact of technology on parliaments, managing risk, succession planning, broadcasting, and managing the parliamentary precinct, especially heritage buildings. The seminar was attended by staff from all Australian parliaments, as well as parliamentary staff from Canada, Scotland, Ohio and the UK House of Commons and House of Lords.
Security training All Legislative Assembly attendant staff are qualified to certificate II level in security operations and in operational safety and defensive tactics. New staff without such qualifications receive training from external providers. A defensive tactics refresher course was also provided to all attendants.
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 39 Staff secondment During the year the Assembly IT manager completed a seven-month secondment to the Department of the House of Representatives, where she gained valuable skills in business analysis and project management.
Other conferences, seminars and courses In addition to the significant roles played in organising and participating in the ASPG and ANZACATT meetiings, Secretariat staff attended or participated in the following conferences, seminars and courses relevant to the parliamentary roles they perform: ANZACATT professional development seminar, Adelaide, January 2011; Australia-Pacific Hansard Editors Conference, January 2010; ANZACATT parliamentary law, practice and procedure, Tasmania, July 2010; Parliamentary Educators Officers conference, Sydney, October 2011; Association of Parliamentary Libraries of Australasia (APLA) Conference and Annual General Meeting, Darwin, July 2010; Attendance at Australia-New Zealand Parliamentary Information Technology Forum WA, September/October 2010; and Biennial meeting of Clerks, January 2011, Adelaide.
Professional development More detailed information on professional development activities undertaken by Secretariat staff is included in section C of this report.
40 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 SECTION B Consultation and scrutiny reporting Internal and external scrutiny During the reporting period the Secretariat was subject to scrutiny from the Auditor-General and the Secretariat’s internal audit committee. Table 3 includes the reports and recommendations associated with this scrutiny and the Secretariat’s responses.
Table 4: Reports on the operations of the Secretariat
Name of organisation and Recommendations Response to nature of inquiry/report title recommendation Review of long service leave, Introduce a standard LSL calculation The finding is agreed but it RSM Bird Cameron 2011 spreadsheet for all calculations should be noted that a standard involving LSL entitlements to reduce LSL calculation spreadsheet the risk of human error in manual was, in fact, introduced in calculations. 2010, mid way through the sample testing of the audit. This spreadsheet is used to calculate all LSL entitlements. So the approach recommended had already been introduced by the time the audit testing began but the inconsistency identified was for the records in the sample that pre-dated the new process. Ensure that a review is completed Accepted. All LSL calculations and signed off for all LSL calculations recognising prior service, or and data input. Consideration should calculating entitlements where be given to incorporating an area for employees apply for LSL should preparer and reviewer sign-off on the be independently checked and Standard LSL calculation spreadsheet signed off accordingly. The as per Recommendation 1. standard calculation template has been updated to address and reinforce this requirement. Review of travel compliance, Review scope for adoption of the Agreed. The Secretariat will RSM Bird Cameron 2011 approach to management of staff consider its approach vis-a-vis travel as reflected in the Public Sector PSMS (chapter 7) through its Management Standards and adopted management group. throughout the ACT Government service.
42 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 Name of organisation and Recommendations Response to nature of inquiry/report title recommendation Amend the Clerk’s Financial Agreed Instructions and Procedures, Chapter 11, Travel, to reflect the approach currently taken to document the Clerk’s approval of travel proposals by staff. Ensure that all travel proposals for non- Agreed executive members which are endorsed by the Speaker prior to generation of a movement requisition are also subject to review by the Clerk before a travel commitment is entered into. Staff and members should be reminded Agreed to submit movement requisitions prior to travel departure dates. Staff should be reminded of the Agreed need to ensure that travel allowance is only claimed in accordance with official business requirements and that any component of private travel is adjusted in the allowance calculation in accordance with a ‘notional’ departure and arrival time which reflects business requirements.
The Secretariat was not the subject of ACT Ombudsman scrutiny during the reporting period.
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 43 Legislative Assembly committee inquiries and reports The Secretariat was the subject of several recommendations made by Assembly committees during the reporting period. The recommendations, the Secretariat’s responses and the status of implementation are included in the table below.
Table 5: Committee inquiries and reports
Recommendation Committee Response Implementation and report No. The Committee recommends Public As part of the The Secretariat will consider that the Legislative Assembly Accounts members survey, the findings of the survey of Secretariat, in conjunction Committee all members of the members in this regard. with the respective Select Report 16: Assembly will be Committee on Estimates, Annual and asked for their views review the effectiveness of Financial on the effectiveness the assistance provided by Reports of the assistance the consultant adviser to 2010–11 given by the the Select Committee on consultant adviser to Estimates as an ongoing the Select Committee practice from 2010–11. on Estimates. The Committee recommends Public The Secretariat The Hansard, Communications that the Legislative Assembly Accounts provided and Library Office sought Secretariat when preparing Committee information to the feedback in the members and negotiating its next Report 16: committee on the and members staff surveys contract renewal with InTACT Annual and work that had been about the standard and range should negotiate the contract Financial done to investigate of IT services provided and to obtain more preferable Reports these issues. internet speed. At the time of terms, in particular areas, 2010–11 reporting this feedback had such as internet speed. not been received; however The Committee recommends the HC&L office delayed that the Legislative Assembly signing an updated service Secretariat review the option level agreement with SSICT of outsourcing its ICT needs pending the receipt of the to another external provider if survey results. The office there are ongoing significant will negotiate with SSICT in issues with internet speed a further attempt to improve and other ICT services services, including internet following the upgrade of the speed, and will also seek platform to Windows 7 and more evidence from users the PC refresh. about the nature and extent of the problems.
44 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 Recommendation Committee Response Implementation and report No. At an estimates committee hearing on 27 May 2011 the Speaker reiterated that the administration and procedure committee did not believe that the potential financial outcome justified changing the provider of the Assembly’s IT services and suggested that the Assembly may be too small to introduce its own in-house arrangements. The Committee recommends PAC Report On Thursday 5 May 2011 that should the Standing No. 15: Inquiry the Speaker advised Committee on Administration into the ACT the Assembly that the and Procedure recommend the Auditor-General Standing Committee establishment of a framework Act 1996 on Administration and that formally recognises Procedure had agreed to Officers of Parliament: conduct an inquiry into the (i) the Legislative Assembly feasibility of establishing Secretariat’s Strategy and the position of Officer of the Parliamentary Education Parliament. Office, where appropriate, should incorporate reference to Officers of Parliament and the unique roles they perform on behalf of Parliaments, into education and information services and activities (ii) the Legislative Assembly Secretariat’s Strategy and Parliamentary Education Office should develop and publish an Assembly fact sheet on Officers of Parliament. The fact sheet should emphasise the unique relationship these Officers have with Parliament and the roles they perform on behalf of Parliaments, and
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 45 Recommendation Committee Response Implementation and report No. (iii) the major seminars for ACT public servants, for which the ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat is responsible, in particular the seminars covering the role of the ACT Legislative Assembly and the workings of Assembly Committees, should specifically include content on the unique role of Officers of Parliament and their relationship with Parliaments. The Committee recommends PAC Report The Secretariat, in late that the Legislative No. 15: Inquiry 2010, noting the workload Assembly Secretariat note into the ACT of the Standing Committee the implications of the Auditor-General on Public Accounts, recommendations of this Act 1996 provided extra resources report on the Standing to that committee and Committee on Public would monitor the situation Accounts’ Secretariat. if the government and the Assembly agree to recommendations of the report. The Committee recommends PAC Report An amendment was made to that the Standing Committee No. 15: Inquiry standing orders on 30 June on Administration and into the ACT 2011 to allow committees to Procedure review Standing Auditor-General meet in other forms. Orders concerning the form of Act 1996 meetings for Committees of the Legislative Assembly.
46 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 Recommendation Committee Response Implementation and report No. The Committee recommends PAC Report The Standing Committee that the Legislative Assembly’s No. 15: Inquiry on Administration and Administration and Procedure into the ACT Procedure considered the Committee should consider Auditor-General recommendation, and amending Standing Orders Act 1996 based on past practice of to formally specify that the the Standing Committee on Standing Committee on Public Public Accounts whereby Accounts should: it has largely been chaired (i) be chaired by a non- by a non-government MLA Government Member; and it was agreed that no amendment to standing (ii) have a membership orders was required. that does not constitute a Government majority. The Committee recommends Report No. 1: Agreed This service will be that the Speaker investigate Select operational by the end of the feasibility of extending Committee on 2011. Committees on Demand to Estimates 2011- all future committee hearings 2012 (subject to resourcing) and report to the Legislative Assembly by the first sitting day in December 2011.
Legislation report The Secretariat is not responsible under the administrative arrangements for administering particular legislation but does have various levels of responsibility under the following Acts: Legislative Assembly Precincts Act 2001; Legislative Assembly (Broadcasting) Act 2001; Legislative Assembly (Members’ Staff) Act 1989 (and associated subordinate legislation); Legislation Act 2001; Australian Capital Territory Self-Government Act 1988 (Cwlth); and Public Sector Management Act 1994. No legislation relevant to the administration of the Secretariat was enacted during the reporting period. ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 47
SECTION C Legislative and policy-based reporting Risk management and internal audit
Risk management The Secretariat recognises risk management as being integral to the development of robust governance structures and sound decision making. During 2010–11 the Secretariat updated its risk management policy framework to bring it into line with the relevant international risk management standard (AS/NZS ISO 31000:2009). The new framework provides guidance to Secretariat managers and staff about their responsibilities in this area and how best to use risk management as a tool to achieve the Secretariat’s primary business objectives. The framework aims to: set out the various responsibilities across the Secretariat in relation to risk management; establish effective processes for identifying, assessing, treating and monitoring risks; and ensure that the knowledge, skills and attitudes required for successful risk management are developed and retained across the organisation. The new framework resulted in a number of changes to the manner in which risks are assessed and treated by the organisation, and as a consequence the Secretariat also took the opportunity to comprehensively review its risk register.
Internal audit The Secretariat’s internal audit committee reports directly to the Clerk of the Assembly and operates under its charter which establishes the role of the committee as being to review and monitor: the extent of compliance with applicable laws, regulations and directions, including agency policy; the effectiveness of the design, implementation and operation of internal controls; the completeness, accuracy and reliability of financial and operating information and underlying records; and the efficiency and effectiveness of business and program, or service, delivery processes.
50 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 Table 6: Internal audit committee members and meetings
Name Position Duration of Meetings attended membership over the reporting period Michael Harris Independent Chair Since 13 March 2007 3 David Skinner Member Since 13 March 2007 3 Val Szychowska Member 13 July 2007 – 12 1 November 2010 Janice Rafferty Member Since 6 November 2009 3 Brian Lloyd Member Since 12 November 2010 2
The committee conducted two audits during 2010–11. The first was an audit of the administration of travel and the second was an audit of the administration of long service leave entitlements. The Secretariat agreed with all recommendations that arose from the audits (see table 3). The implementation of all audit recommendations is monitored closely by the committee through its master audit implementation plan.
Fraud prevention During the reporting period, the Secretariat revised its fraud and corruption prevention framework to clarify procedures for investigating possible fraudulent or corrupt behaviour. During 2010–11 there were two preliminary assessments conducted in relation to suspected fraud. In one case a staff member was formally counselled with respect to proper record keeping. The second case remains under active investigation at the conclusion of the financial year.
Public interest disclosure The Secretariat has in place policies and procedures for receiving and investigating public interest disclosures. The details of the procedures are available at both the members and public entrances of the Assembly building as well as on the Assembly’s intranet.
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 51 The Deputy Clerk and Serjeant-at-Arms is the designated contact officer for public interest disclosures and can be contacted on (02) 6205 0171. Public interest disclosures can also be directed to the Clerk on (02) 6205 0191. The Secretariat received no public interest disclosures during the reporting period.
Freedom of information
Section 7 statement
Organisation The Legislative Assembly Secretariat is responsible to the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly through the Clerk, who is appointed pursuant to division 3.8 of the Public Sector Management Act 1994. The Clerk has all the powers of a Director-General but is not subject to the direction of the executive. Secretariat staff assisting the Clerk in the exercise of his or her powers and functions are also employed pursuant to the Public Sector Management Act 1994.
Powers Secretariat staff—namely, the Serjeant-at-Arms and the Principal Attendant— can exercise powers delegated by the Speaker pursuant to section 9(5) of the Legislative Assembly Precincts Act 2001. The Clerk also has powers under the Legislative Assembly (Broadcasting) Act 2001 in relation to the broadcasting of proceedings, including the approval of electronic access to the proceedings of the Assembly and the withdrawal of access.
Arrangements for public participation Avenues for public participation include submissions to inquiries, access to public hearings of committee inquiries and Assembly meetings, citizen’s right of reply, petitions, and access to administrative records and general files through freedom of information (FOI) requests.
FOI procedures and contact points All FOI requests relating to the Legislative Assembly Secretariat should be directed to:
52 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 The Clerk ACT Legislative Assembly London Circuit Canberra ACT 2601 Location: London Circuit, Canberra City, ACT, 2601. Business hours: 8.30 am – 5.00 pm Monday to Friday. Postal address: GPO Box 1020, Canberra, ACT, 2601. General inquiries: (02) 620 50439 Committee inquiries: (02) 620 50127 Hansard inquiries: (02) 620 50422 Legislation inquiries: (02) 620 50440 Requests can be delivered to the public entrance of the Assembly building between 8.30 am and 5.00 pm Monday to Friday. Telephone inquiries should be directed to the Secretariat’s general inquiries number (02) 6205 0439. The Secretariat’s FOI fact sheet and procedures can be accessed on the Assembly website at: http://www.parliament.act.gov.au/secretariat-information/ FOI-1105.pdf.
Documents available The Secretariat has broad responsibility for providing advice to government agencies and the public regarding the business of the Assembly and its committees. To facilitate the provision of information the following documents are published by the Secretariat: A brief overview of the business of the Legislative Assembly for the Australian Capital Territory – concise information on the proceedings and practices used in the Assembly as well as a glossary of terms. Annual reports.*1 Bills list* – an alphabetical listing, by short title, of bills considered by the Assembly. The list details the date of introduction and, where relevant, the date of passage, the act number and particulars in the legislation register. Bills discharged, negatived at the agreement in principle stage, declared urgent and referred to committees are also listed. The list is published on a regular basis. Bills Volumes* – bound volumes of all bills presented to the Assembly. The volumes include bills, explanatory statements and amendments that have been moved at the detail stage. The volumes are published for each Assembly and, from 2006, are available online.
1 NOTE: Documents identified with an (*) are available on the internet. The web address is: www.parliament.act.gov.au
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 53 Business of the Assembly* – a synopsis of the business undertaken by the Assembly each calendar year. This information is published on an annual basis and online. Committee reports* – reports presented to the Assembly by standing and select committees are listed in Committees of the Seventh Assembly 2008-09. Reports presented during the reporting period are listed in appendix 9 of this report. Committees of the Seventh Assembly 2010–11* – a list of the committees of the Seventh Assembly giving details of membership, terms of reference, current inquiries and reports presented by each committee. Updated regularly. Daily Program* – a guide for members indicating the items of business which the Assembly is expected to consider that day. Published each sitting day. Debates of the Legislative Assembly for the Australian Capital Territory (Hansard)* – a record of Assembly debates commonly referred to as Hansard. The officialWeekly Hansard is produced approximately three weeks after each sitting week of the Assembly. The proof Daily Hansard is produced the day following a sitting of the Assembly. Discretionary Office Allocation expenditure*. Contains information on the use by MLAs of the discretionary office allocation. Fact sheets* –18 fact sheets are produced by the Strategy and Parliamentary Education Office, providing a variety of historical, administrative and procedural information in relation to the ACT Legislative Assembly. Get to know your ACT Legislative Assembly* – a pamphlet that provides a concise overview of the history of the Assembly, the ACT electoral process and general information on the Assembly’s sitting days and papers. This pamphlet has been translated into three languages – Arabic, Chinese and Vietnamese – and is available at the public entrance of the Assembly building and on the Assembly website. Getting involved in public inquiries – a pamphlet providing information on participating in public inquiries of Assembly committees*. Available from the public entrance of the Assembly and the Committee Office. A range of community groups also have copies of the brochure for distribution. Information for persons making submissions to, or appearing as witnesses before, committees of the Legislative Assembly* – a pamphlet providing information to persons involved with the committees of the Assembly. Legislative Assembly for the Australian Capital Territory – a brochure explaining the history of the Assembly, including a map of the building.
54 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Strategic Plan 2009-2014*. Members of the Seventh Assembly – a booklet listing the members of the Assembly and giving details of their Assembly service, committee service, party positions, and biographical details. Published for each Assembly. Members of the Seventh Assembly – a brochure about the members of the Assembly. Includes photographs, roles and a map of electorates. Members’ declarations of interest* - contains statements of registrable interest as declared by members. Minutes of proceedings* – the official ecordr of the proceedings of the Assembly. Pamphlet copies are published in proof form immediately following each sitting of the Assembly, with final copies published later. A proof index to the minutes and a proof index to papers tabled in the Assembly are published internally, as are proof bound volumes of the Minutes of proceedings. Non-executive members’ travel summary* - contains information on the use of travel entitlements by members. Notice Paper* – the official list of all outstanding business before the Assembly and setting out the order of business to be followed. The Notice Paper also lists notices of questions (a full list of unanswered questions appears on the first Notice Paper each sitting week or fortnight) and contains an information section on Assembly committees. The Notice Paper is published each sitting day of the Assembly, with the exception of the first sitting day of an Assembly. Sitting pattern* – a calendar highlighting Assembly sitting days. A copy of the current sitting pattern is available from the members and public entrances while in stock. An up-to-date version is always available on the Assembly website. Standing and Temporary Orders of the Assembly. Student workbooks - workbooks for primary and secondary students containing information about the Assembly and educational activities to assist with their studies. Teacher workbooks – activity pads for teachers to assist in the development of classroom activities. Summary of Bills – the document includes a summary of each bill introduced into the Assembly for the current Assembly to date, the minister or member who introduced the bill and the date of introduction. Published on a regular basis.*
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 55 Transcripts of public hearings of committees of the Assembly are produced following committee hearings. Uncorrected proofs of committee transcripts are available for inspection at the Committee Office. Edited proof transcripts are published on the Assembly’s website as soon as they are verified by Hansard editors; final transcripts are published within 20 working days from the date of the hearing. Copies of the documents listed above are available from the Assembly Secretariat and, where indicated, are available for inspection on the Assembly’s website. Copies of Weekly Hansard, committee reports and Minutes of proceedings are placed in some territory libraries. The Assembly also provides free of charge copies of a range of publications on various aspects of its history, roles and functions to the public, community groups and schools. Copies of ACT legislation (bills and acts) and delegated legislation (e.g. regulations and determinations) are at www.legislation.act.gov.au. Other types of documents that may be available under the Freedom of Information Act 1989 are general files and administrative records; however, it should be noted that documents are exempt documents if disclosure would infringe the privileges of the Legislative Assembly or other Australian parliaments.
Section 8 statement Section 8 of the Freedom of Information Act 1989 applies to documents that are provided by the agency for the use of, or are used by, the agency or its officers in making decisions or recommendations for the purposes of an enactment or scheme administered by the agency with respect to rights, privileges or benefits, or to obligations, penalties or other detriments, to which persons are or may be entitled or subject. The Secretariat has one document that would fall under this definition: Guidelines for Broadcasting the Public Proceedings of the Legislative Assembly and its Committees. A copy of this document is available on request.
Section 79 statement During the reporting period the Secretariat received no applications for information pursuant to the FOI legislation.
56 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 Internal accountability The Secretariat is managed by the Clerk, who is supported by a management team of five managers. Each year the Secretariat develops an action plan setting the organisation’s key strategic objectives and initiatives to be pursued over the financial year. The management team meets each month to make decisions relating to the delivery of Secretariat services, budgeting, implementation of the action plan and internal governance and accountability initiatives. Standing items on the agenda include risk management, occupational health and safety and environmental sustainability. All managers are subject to performance agreements with the Clerk, setting out their responsibilities and key work objectives. Agreements are reviewed on a six-monthly basis to examine how each manager has performed within their areas of responsibility. The senior management group is made up of (as at 30 June 2011): Clerk, Tom Duncan; Deputy Clerk and Serjeant-at-Arms, Max Kiermaier; Manager, Committee Office, Sandra Lilburn; Manager, Hansard and Communications and Library Office, Val Barrett; Manager, Corporate Services Office, Ian Duckworth; and Manager, Strategy and Parliamentary Education Office, David Skinner. The key management committees within the Assembly are as follows: occupational health and safety committee (recognising the separate employer responsibilities, the committee is composed of representatives from the Secretariat, members’ offices, and the executive); internal audit committee; and joint union management consultative committee. The Clerk is the only Senior Executive Service officer within the organisation and the determination of the Clerk’s remuneration arrangements is made pursuant to the Remuneration Tribunal Act 1995.
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 57 HR performance The Secretariat is a small parliamentary support agency, with a core of permanent staff augmented by casual employees who are predominantly engaged around Assembly sitting periods. While staff employed in the Secretariat are employed under the Public Sector Management Act 1994 and form part of the ACT public service, the Secretariat is not a government agency. The Secretariat is headed by the statutory office of Clerk of the Assembly, and the Public Sector Management Act provides that the Clerk is not subject to the direction of the executive. Consequently, the Secretariat aims to follow or mirror, but is not necessarily bound by, HR policies and themes that are determined by the government for implementation within agencies. The Secretariat’s approach to its human resource (HR) management and workforce planning is encapsulated in two of the five agreed goals in the Secretariat’s Strategic plan 2009-2014. The first of those is ‘to maintain a highly skilled, satisfied and committed workforce’, with the use of the term ‘maintain’ reflecting that the Secretariat’s workforce was already regarded as having these characteristics at the time the strategic plan was developed. The second is to ‘improve services to the Assembly and its committees’. In support of the achievement of those goals, the plan identifies a series of priorities, and those with a relationship to the Secretariat’s HR management are as follows: reinforce status as an employer of choice; align professional development opportunities with identified needs; develop mechanisms for assessing staff satisfaction; identify and recognise exceptional staff performance; continuously improve the management of workplace health and safety; give practical effect to work-life balance in policies and procedures; enhance research and analytical capabilities; enhance procedural expertise across the Secretariat; and improve capacity to digitise and manage records and reduce reliance on paper-based records management. While these priorities will be addressed across a five-year period, many were the subject of work undertaken during the year. During that period action was taken to develop a staff satisfaction survey. The survey will not be conducted until early in 2011-12. It will gather information about how employees view the Secretariat and the extent to which they
58 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 are satisfied working in the organisation across a range of measures. The management team will use the information collected to better understand how staff think and feel about the organisation and to identify areas where improvements can be made as well as to reflect on aspects of the organisation that are well regarded and can be built upon, thereby strengthening the organisation’s resilience. During the year professional development opportunities were aligned with identified needs, and workplace health and safety arrangements within the Assembly were subject to continuous improvement. In terms of workforce planning, the Secretariat is a small agency with a flat structure of largely specialised skill groups. The organisation’s resilience is enhanced through a strong culture of supporting work-life balance and providing staff with support for development of skills and capabilities. Key capability areas for many roles in the Secretariat include the possession of experience in a parliamentary environment and research skills. The flat structure limits succession-planning opportunities within the Secretariat, resulting in the external recruitment of staff. Of particular concern in recent years has been the reduced number of applicants for vacancies, particularly from applicants with parliamentary experience and from the Commonwealth public service, and situations where a successful applicant from these sectors has declined an offer of employment due to limitations in relation to the continuation of membership of certain Commonwealth superannuation funds. Ensuring that the Secretariat is an employer of choice by attracting and retaining a professional workforce is essential in delivering for the future.
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 59
(P/T) SOGC ASO4 ASO6 Senior Officer Payroll & Payroll Assistant Manager, Manager, HR Adviser HR Adviser HR & Work HR & Work Payroll and Payroll Recruitment Environment
ASO6 Records Manager SOGC ASO4 ASO6 Officer Corporate Manager SOGA Assistant Manager, Finance & Corporate Services OfficeCorporate Accounting & Accounting Admin Officer Admin Administration Administration Senior Finance & Business Support
Personal Assistant to the Clerk ASO4 to the Clerk Assistant Personal ASO6 ASO4 Officer Assistant 5 X Committee Senior Research Secretaries SOGC Administrative/ IT Administrative/ Committee Office Manager, Committee Office SOGA Manager, ly b ssem
A
SOGC ASO4 he t Officer (P/T) Education SOGA Education Officer Education Office Assistant Education Strategy & Parliamentary Strategy Manager, Strategy & Parliamentary Strategy Manager, lerk of C
ASO2 ASO4 2 X (FT) 2 X (PT) ASO6 Officer Security Attendants Controller Attendant & Principal Legislation ASO3 SOGA SOGC
Clerk Assistant Senior Attendant ASO6
Officer Chamber SupportChamber Office ASO4 & Projects ASO2 Deputy Clerk & Serjeant-at-ArmsDeputy Notice Paper Facilities Facilities Manager Sessional Attendants
ASO6 SOGC Editor Senior Casual Editors Hansard Hansard
PO1 1 x (FT) 1 x (PT) Librarians ASO2 Officer PO2 Senior SPOC Librarian Customer Service Librarian Assembly Library Office
Manager, Hansard, Manager, TO4 Officer Support Officer and Web and Web Publishing IT Hansard, Communications & Technical Technical (P/T) ASO4 Communications & Library SOGA ITO2 SOGC Manager Assembly Publications Officer (P/T)
60 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 Members’ staff employment A significant element of the Secretariat’s human resource management effort relates to the employment of staff by non-executive members under the Legislative Assembly (Members’ Staff) Act 1989 (the LAMS Act). The employment arrangements for non-executive members are based on a staff salary allocation that is determined by the Chief Minister under the LAMS Act. As part of those arrangements, the Secretariat monitors and updates those staff salary allocations and prepares and manages the execution of all staff employment agreements. In previous years it has been reported that there has been a high turnover of staff in non-executive members’ offices. During the current reporting period the lower number of employment agreements and lower staff turnover that were reported in 2009–10 seemed to continue during 2010–11. Consistent with the recommendations of the Auditor-General in her report No 5 of 2009, the Secretariat continued to be involved in the collection and reconciliation of attendance records from staff of non-executive members, including reporting to non-executive members on compliance approximately each quarter. During 2010–11 the Secretariat adopted an escalated management approach to these matters, recognising that initial noncompliance can often be addressed through simple follow-up. However, it was necessary in some isolated cases during the year to address significant compliance failures in some members’ offices where some staff had failed to complete and/or lodge attendance records and to complete and lodge leave applications for some absences. These matters demanded considerable management resources to address.
Staffing profile The following tables provide a statistical breakdown of the Secretariat’s staff.
Employment type The methodology for reporting employment numbers in ACT agencies is determined by the Chief Minister’s Department. A key feature of that methodology is that the numbers to be reported are based on the staff paid during the final pay period of the financial year. Accordingly, those numbers are reported in the table below.
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 61 Table 7: FTE & headcount by gender
Female Male Total FTE by gender 25.99 15.99 41.98 Headcount by gender 31 20 51 Percentage of workforce (headcount) 60.8% 39.2% 100%
Through this methodology, a potential difficulty arises in presenting the Secretariat’s casual staff numbers. The Secretariat employs casual staff on a seasonal basis throughout the year, predominantly around Assembly sitting periods. Because of the fluctuating use of casual staff, the methodology will often not reflect the annual usage casual staff numbers, which is more representative. The Secretariat employed nine casual staff in the final pay period of June 2011, and the hours performed equated to a full-time equivalent of 2.5. However, during 2010–11 the Secretariat employed 13 casual staff members and the hours performed equated to a full-time equivalent of 3.6. The table below includes all casual staff employed in 2010–11.
Table 8: Including all casual employees during the year ended 30 June 2011
Female Male Total FTE by gender 26.9 16.2 43.1 Headcount by gender 33 22 55 Percentage of workforce (headcount) 60% 40% 100%
Table 9: Average length of service by age-group by gender
Average length of Pre-Baby Baby Generation Generation Total service (years) Boomers Boomers X Y FMFMFMFMFM 0-2 0 0 2 1 4 1 0 1 6 3 2-4 0 0 3 2 4 2 0 0 7 4 4-6 0 0 4 0 0 1 1 1 5 2
62 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 Average length of Pre-Baby Baby Generation Generation Total service (years) Boomers Boomers X Y 6-8 0 1 2 1 1 0 0 0 3 2 8-10 1 0 3 2 0 0 0 0 4 2 10-12 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 12-14 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 2 14+ years 0 1 2 3 1 1 0 0 3 5
Table 10: Employment category by gender
Employment category Female Male Total Casual 5 4 9 Permanent full-time 19 12 31 Permanent part-time 5 3 8 Temporary full-time 2 1 3 Temporary part-time 0 0 0 TOTAL 31 20 51
Table 11: Agency profile by employment type
Classification group Female Male Total Clerk 0 1 1 SOG A 2 3 5 SOG B 1 0 1 SOG C 6 4 10 SPOC 1 0 1 ASO 6 8 2 10 PO2 1 0 1 ASO 5 0 0 0 PO1 2 0 2
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 63 Classification group Female Male Total ASO 4 6 2 8 ASO 3 0 1 1 ASO 2 4 5 9 ITO 2 0 1 1 TO 4 0 1 1 TOTAL 31 20 51
The statistics exclude staff not paid by the ACT public service and people on leave without pay. Staff members who had separated from the ACT public service but received a payment have been included.
Learning and development The Secretariat operates a performance and development scheme supporting the Secretariat’s commitment to developing a performance culture that promotes an ethical working environment that is respected by both managers and employees. Learning and development focuses on a process of continually improving individual performance and, through this, the Secretariat’s performance. There is a strong organisational commitment to aligning professional development activities with identified needs and to develop capabilities to: improve services to the Assembly and its committees; enhance accountability and governance arrangements; and build more effective mechanisms for public engagement. The learning and development budget for 2010–11 (which includes workplace health and safety training) was $40,000, with an expenditure of $27,572. The main reason for the lower than budgeted expenditure was the fact that the ACT Legislative Assembly hosted two inter-parliamentary conferences in 2010–11. These conferences are held annually and the Secretariat always aims to provide several staff with the opportunity to participate. Had they been hosted in other jurisdictions, travel costs for participating staff would have been incurred. The profile of learning and development activities provided was diverse, with staff undertaking training in the following areas: studies of parliament and parliamentary procedure; information management; information technology skills;
64 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 occupational health and safety; equity and diversity; project management; and job specific training. During 2010–11 two staff members participated in the study assistance program. One commenced the Public Sector Management Program, and two undertook the University of Tasmania Parliamentary Law, Practice and Procedure Graduate Certificate. A number of staff from the Assembly Library participated in the Parliamentary Libraries International Symposium hosted by the Parliamentary Library, Parliament of Australia in March 2011. The theme of the conference was Fundamental to democracy: parliamentary research and library services. A group of 35 delegates from the conference visited the Assembly Library to learn how a small parliamentary library can work and what are the roles and functions of the ACT Legislative Assembly as a parliament. In October 2010 two staff members from the Strategy and Parliamentary Education Office attended the 2010 Australasian Parliamentary Education Conference, hosted by the Parliamentary Services Branch, New South Wales Parliament. Highlights of the conference included the opportunity to exchange ideas on the diverse range of education programs hosted by parliaments, presentations on educational simulation programs involving civics and citizenship, and the impact of the national curriculum on future civics and citizenship programs. Learning and development areas identified as priorities in 2011-12 include: parliament and parliamentary procedure; respect, equity and diversity; records and information management; and general and job specific training.
Workplace health and safety The Secretariat is committed to promoting and maintaining a high standard of health and safety and wellbeing for all staff, members, contractors and visitors. However, the Assembly is a unique workplace in relation to occupational health and safety, particularly as it relates to members’ offices. While members have responsibility for many issues associated with the organisation and management of their offices and their staff, the Secretariat, through the Clerk,
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 65 has responsibility for matters such as facilities management and the provision of furniture. It has been recognised that this could lead to confusion or uncertainty. In recognition of these unique arrangements, a workplace injury prevention policy statement – signed by the Chief Minister, the Speaker, other party leaders and the Clerk – governs the overall workplace health and safety arrangements in the Assembly work environment. The Assembly workplace has appointed a Work Safety Committee that meets quarterly. Membership of the committee includes three management representatives, five workplace representatives covering the Secretariat and members’ staff, the Health and Safety Representative, and one union representative. Nominations from employees to perform the role of the Assembly’s Health and Safety Representative were sought in accordance with the Work Safety Act 2008 and the appointments were ratified by the Assembly’s Work Safety Committee. During the reporting period the Work Safety Committee oversaw the following measures in accordance with the Assembly’s Workplace Health and Safety and Injury Management Plan: finalisation of a work safety training needs analysis; development and implementation of contractor protocols; review and implementation of the policy on and procedures for dealing with discrimination, harassment and bullying in the workplace; establishment of health and safety responsibilities in performance and development guidelines; conduct of workplace hazard inspections; quarterly review of work safety risk assessment; assessment of accident/incident reports and identification of any controls to reduce risk; development of safe operating procedures for working at heights; development and implementation of an asbestos management plan; and provision of a progress report to the Speaker, Chief Minister, other party leaders and the Clerk on the committee’s activities. In addition to the measures overseen by the Assembly’s Work Safety Committee, the following measures were undertaken by the Secretariat to ensure workplace health, safety and welfare at work of all staff: influenza vaccinations erew facilitated on-site (or reimbursement was available if privately arranged);
66 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 staff were offered heart health checks; the work safety component of the intranet was updated; workstation assessments were provided to employees on longer term contracts as required; training was provided on specific workplace health and safety issues, along with general emergency awareness and building evacuation drills; awareness was promoted on the prevention of bullying and harassment in the workplace; staff continued to be entitled to claim health and wellbeing allowance; eyesight testing and reimbursement of spectacles for visually demanding tasks was provided as required; regular articles were published in the Assembly newsletter on OH&S related matters, including promoting the employee assistance program; and the Healthworks brochure was distributed to all staff. During the reporting period: there were no compensation claims from Secretariat or staff of non-executive members; all plant and equipment was regularly checked in line with statutory requirements; and no events occurred that would require inclusion in this annual report pursuant to sections 171 and 172 of the Work Safety Act 2008.
W orkplace relations During the reporting period the enterprise agreements for both Secretariat staff and staff of Assembly members were finalised. The agreements provided for a 2.5 per cent salary increase applicable from 1 July 2010 and a sign-on bonus of $650 for eligible employees. Both agreements reached their nominal expiry dates at the end of the reporting period. Under arrangements agreed between the government and the relevant public sector unions, and consistent with the approach taken with previous agreements, negotiations on a range of matters that would be common to all agency agreements had commenced between those parties at the end of the reporting period for the next enterprise agreement. Finalisation of these agreements will be a priority for 2011-12, as will their implementation.
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 67 During the reporting period, one special employment arrangement was approved to address the specialist requirements of the position and prevailing market forces.
Strategic asset management The assets managed by the Secretariat include the Assembly building, leased motor vehicles, the Assembly’s art collection and library collection and various items of plant and equipment.
Value and quantity of assets
Table 12: The value and quantity at 30 June 2010 of classes of assets
Value Quantity Assembly building (Territorial $18.981m 1 budget) Land (Territorial budget) $3.8m 1 Leased motor vehicles $0.321m 10 (Territorial budget) Leased motor vehicles $0.031m 1 (Departmental budget) Assembly art collection $0.666m 170 (Departmental budget) Assembly library collection $0.259m Various (Departmental budget) Plant and equipment $0.286m 48 items (Departmental budget) (some assets are a collection of multiple items)
68 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 Additions and deletions
Table 13: Assets that were added to or removed from the Secretariat’s assets register during 2009–10
Asset class Additions (value) Disposals (value) Assembly building (Territorial Capital upgrade program – see N/A budget) below - ($0.225m) Completion of lift upgrade ($0.114m) Land (Territorial budget) N/A N/A Leased motor vehicles* 8 9 (Territorial budget) ($0.297m), replacement vehicles ($0.163m), due to the expiry of lease term) Leased motor vehicles 1 1 (Departmental budget) ($0.036m), replacement vehicle ($0.017m), due to the vehicle being no longer required) Assembly art collection 4 0 (Departmental budget) ($0.017m)
Assembly Library collection Various 0 (Departmental budget) ($0.005m) Plant and equipment 5 0 (Departmental budget) ($0.045m)
* The number of disposals is greater than the number of additions because one vehicle was held for sale at 30 June 2010. Also, the lease on one vehicle was renewed and that is shown as a disposal and an addition.
The Assembly building The Secretariat’s strategic asset management plan for the Assembly building – particularly the life cycle data for the various building elements and components – was updated during 2010–11, consistent with the Secretariat’s practice of updating the data every three to four years (the data was last updated in 2007-08). The plan provides strategic guidance to the Secretariat on capital upgrade planning and on major repair and maintenance priorities.
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 69 Management of the art collection Through the work of the Assembly’s art advisory committee, the Assembly continued to add to the official art collection during the reporting period, with a number of high quality works being acquired as part of the art program. More detailed information on the activities of the art committee is contained in section A of this report. The Assembly’s art collection was valued at $665,843 during the reporting period.
Capital upgrade funding and expenditure The Secretariat received capital upgrade funding in its 2009–10 budget, totalling $0.222m, which was committed to the following projects: painting works on second floor and sealing first floor windows ($0.027m); refurbishing members entrance parquetry flooring ($0.005m); replacing chilled and heating water expansion tanks ($0.005m); replacing sewer and subsoil pumps ($0.001m); undertaking remedial fire penetration works ($0.011m); completing flame guard detector replacement program ($0.013m); refurbishing reception room kitchen facilities ($0.014m); upgrading access control system for Secretariat office doors ($0.045); investigating and developing scope of works and preliminary cost projects for chamber roof and facade upgrade, and for solar energy installation; and undertaking cost-benefit study on solar installation ($0.014m). In addition to the 2009–10 capital upgrade funding, the Secretariat received additional funding totalling $0.189m, through the government’s 2008-09 third appropriation, for the installation of a new main chiller for the Legislative Assembly building. On completion, the chiller was installed for $0.098m, leading to savings for the territory of $0.091m. In 2009–10 the Secretariat also received funding of $0.285m for an upgrade to the lifts within the Legislative Assembly building. This project did not progress as planned and the funding has been rolled over into 2010–11.
Asset maintenance and upgrades The Assembly building is the largest asset managed and maintained by the Secretariat. The notes to the Secretariat’s 2010–11 annual financial statements
70 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 show that the supplies and services expenditure incurred in the financial year relating to building management was $0.641m. However, these costs include utilities expenses of $0.209m and waste removal cost of $0.015m, leaving $0.417m devoted to repairs and maintenance of the building. During 2010–11 a number of condition audits were conducted on aspects of the building. Under the building services maintenance contract (Spotless Pty Ltd is the Secretariat’s contractor) there are annual condition audits provided for major items of plant and equipment. These are used to inform and assist in the management of future maintenance and replacement requirements.
Vehicles A total of nine non-executive members have opted to be provided with a fully maintained vehicle in accordance with entitlements determined by the ACT Remuneration Tribunal. Those vehicles are provided in accordance with the territory’s vehicle leasing arrangements and are reflected in the Secretariat’s territorial financial statements. The same arrangement is used to provide a vehicle to the Clerk of the Assembly, also in accordance with entitlements determined by the ACT Remuneration Tribunal. During the year, following a review of the usage of a separate Secretariat office vehicle, a decision was taken to rely on the Clerk’s vehicle for most daytime official vehicle usage and, accordingly, the vehicle was relinquished.
Office accommodation The gross building area for the Assembly Building is 7,547m2 and the net lettable area for building valuation purposes is 6,418m2. However, significant parts of the net lettable area include floor space that is used only on a periodic or occasional basis or is not occupied by staff. These areas include the Assembly chamber, two committee rooms and a number of function rooms. For the purposes of establishing a rate of office space utilisation, an area of 3,208m2 has been identified as the area that members and staff ordinarily occupy. In terms of the number of members and staff who occupy that space, it was recognised that some fluctuation occurs, due primarily to the sitting patterns of the Assembly (i.e. when additional staff are engaged) and that the peak number was approximately 146. Accordingly, the office space utilisation rate is 21.4m2 per occupant. During the year the Secretariat engaged a number of consultants and contractors to provide works or services that, due to the specialised skills or experience required, were not able to be provided from within the staff resources of the Secretariat.
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 71 In engaging these contractors and its procurement activities generally, the Secretariat adhered to the provisions of the Government Procurement Act 2001 and the Government Procurement Regulation 2007, except that the public notification of a small number of contracts did not occur within the specified 28 day period. The table below lists details of the expenditure on consultants and contractors where the amount paid (including GST) was in excess of $20,000.
Government contracting
Table 14: Contracts
Type of works/services or Name of Amount paid Procurement Date contract area of skill or expertise contractor in 2009-10 type let (incl. GST) Building works and maintenance Supply and installation of SNP Security $45,244 single select 31 March 2011 additional access control Pty Ltd measures Maintenance of access SNP Security $27,252 single select 19 November control system Pty Ltd 2008 and 23 February 2011 Maintenance of building Spotless P&F $134,226 open tender 13 March 2007 services P/L Cleaning services Berkeley $174,221 open tender 16 September Challenge P/L 2005 Electrical services Affinity $20,153 select tender 7 October 2008 Electrical Technologies Re-painting program Prowd Painters $26,935 select tender 11 and 21 October 2010 Recording and broadcasting of proceedings Recording and transcription Merrill $122,004 open tender 28 November of the proceedings of the Corporation 2005 Assembly and of public Australia P/L hearings of Assembly committees
72 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 Type of works/services or Name of Amount paid Procurement Date contract area of skill or expertise contractor in 2009-10 type let (incl. GST) Support and maintenance of Sand Consulting $27,763 single select 30 March 2010 webstreaming and Daily on Pty Ltd Demand systems Digital broadcasting Kaz Electronics $32,510 select tender 17 March 2011 equipment upgrade Specialist expertise Legal advice to the relevant Mr Peter Bayne $60,664 single select 22 January Assembly standing 2009 committee on the scrutiny of bills and subordinate legislation Legal advice to the relevant Mr Stephen $42,417 single select 3 February Assembly standing Argument 2009 committee on the scrutiny of bills and subordinate legislation Specialist advice to the ACIL Tasman $27,500 select tender 2 May 2011 Legislative Assembly’s Select Pty Ltd Committee on Estimates 2011-2012 regarding the territory budget Supply of Australian SAI Global Ltd $20,038 sole supplier 3 May 2011 Standards to the Assembly Library Whole-of-government contracts Provision of stationery/ Corporate $38,606 whole of govt supply of office furniture Express contract for non-executive members’ Australia Ltd offices Travel services American $65,770 whole of govt Express – contract Qantas Business Travel
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 73 Type of works/services or Name of Amount paid Procurement Date contract area of skill or expertise contractor in 2009-10 type let (incl. GST) Advertising Adcorp Australia $40,135 whole of govt Ltd contract Media monitoring services Media Monitors $20,367 whole of govt P/L contract Copier and printer usage Ricoh Australia $20,695 whole of govt charges contract
Community grants/assistance/ sponsorship The Secretariat did not issue any grants or provide any assistance or sponsorship during the year.
Territory records The Secretariat’s current records management program was approved by the Clerk in 2003 and, in accordance with the Territory Records Act 2002, was subsequently submitted to the Director of Territory Records. During 2010–11 extensive work was undertaken to redevelop this program. As part of the program redevelopment, a revised records management policy and revised records management procedures, which are the focus of the program, were approved by the Clerk of the Assembly on 1 June 2011 and subsequently promulgated to all staff. In addition, an action plan was prepared to identify priorities and activities based on the Secretariat’s Strategic plan 2009-14. In respect of the coming reporting period, the main priorities and activities will be to: register all business sections’ vital records in the Secretariat’s vital records register; finalise and circulate the business continuity and disaster recovery plan; submit the Secretariat’s redeveloped records management program to the Director of Territory Records; develop and implement a records management page on the Secretariat’s intranet;
74 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 continue to conduct records management training; and continue sentencing and destruction of Secretariat records. However, the most significant records management priority for the coming reporting period will be to develop a scope for, to identify and to implement a compliant records and information management system. The Secretariat’s current file tracking system does not fully comply with the requirements of the territory records standards, and this represents the major area of noncompliance for the Secretariat’s program. With the engagement of an experienced records manager in 2010, the Secretariat developed and conducted its first in-house introductory training session. This training proved successful, with attendance by a majority of Secretariat staff. Further formal training is currently being prepared to meet the various needs of Secretariat staff. During Information Awareness Month (May 2011) the Secretariat hosted and assisted in the Territory Records Office event, Hot source: what flavour is your source record. A number of Secretariat staff attended this session.
Sentencing and disposal Throughout the 2010–11 period 950 records were sentenced in accordance with the Territory Records Disposal Schedules and the Secretariat’s specific disposal schedule listed below.
Table 15: Records sentencing and disposal
Records disposal schedule name Effective Year and No. Territory Records (Records Disposal Schedule - Legislative 17 June 2004 NI2004-177 Assembly Secretariat Records) Approval 2004 (No 1)
In addition to sentencing activities, the Secretariat disposed of 148 records.
Preservation and access The records management procedures that were approved in June 2011 stress the importance of effectively managing and preserving records, including records linking Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders to their heritage. During 2010–11 the Secretariat submitted 13 applications to close records under section 28 of the Territory Records Act 2002, which were approved by the Director of Territory Records on 24 November 2010. The records management
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 75 procedures detail how access requests should be facilitated, communicated and finalised. Two access requests were received by ACT Archives and both were actioned in the required time frame.
Other achievements Other significant records management activities and achievements during 2010–11: the first formal census of onsite ecordsr was conducted during January and February 2011, with a report provided to senior management; and the first biannual statistical report on records management activities was presented to senior management.
Human Rights Act Through the Standing Committee on Justice and Community Safety, operating in its capacity as a scrutiny of bills committee, the Legislative Assembly plays an important role in the operation of the Human Rights Act 2004. Under section 38(1) of the act, the committee is responsible for reporting to the Assembly on any human rights issues arising from certain bills presented to it. In particular, the committee reports on any inconsistencies between proposed legislation and the Human Rights Act.
Ecologically sustainable development In 2010–11 the Assembly saw a 10 per cent, or 111-tonne, reduction in greenhouse emissions associated with its operations, a significant achievement. Details of the Secretariat’s environmental performance are outlined in below.
Gas The Assembly building experienced an 11 per cent increase in gas consumption during 2010–11. This increase is largely attributable to the earlier than usual onset of cold temperatures in 2010 which resulted in the building’s boiler unit being activated a month earlier than in the preceding year (April instead of March). Despite this increase, remedial work on the boiler valve system has reduced the amount of unburnt gas escaping through the unit, and this work has increased its overall efficiency. However, after being in situ for 17 years, the boiler is coming towards the end of its life cycle and the Secretariat will consider options
76 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 for its replacement in the near future. The Secretariat anticipates that any replacement would be considerably more energy efficient than the existing unit.
Electricity The Assembly experienced a 13 per cent decrease in the amount of electricity consumed on its premises. This can be attributed to the introduction of more energy efficient IT equipment and more efficient zoning of the HVAC systems to reduce thermal transfer between the inside and the outside of the building, resulting in a reduced HVAC operating times.
Waste The Assembly recorded a reduction in the amount of paper recycled during the period (15.8 per cent) which was largely a result of two factors: 1. the overall reduction in the amount of paper that was consumed by the Assembly – from over 2000 reams in 2009–10 to just over 1200 in 2010–11; and 2. the introduction of alternative paper recycling arrangements midway through the reporting period (the Secretariat changed its paper recycling providers and achieved significant cost savings and a higher level of service provision). At this time the executive assumed responsibility for its own paper recycling which has artificially deflated the paper recycling figures. There was also a major decline in the amount of cardboard recycling that occurred (40 per cent). This is attributable to the integration, during the year, of the cardboard and comingled recycling streams coupled with the higher prevalence of smart packaging observed in the products that are entering the Assembly building to support the Assembly’s operations.
Fleet The Secretariat manages a small vehicle fleet on behalf of non-executive members (and the Clerk). There was a modest but nonetheless significant reduction in overall energy use associated with the fleet during the period – a decrease of almost five per cent.
Water There was a major decline in the amount of water used at the Assembly compared with the previous reporting period (an 18 per cent reduction).
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 77 Table 16: Trend gas and electricity consumption
MonthlyMonthly gas gasand and electricity electricity usage usage
500,000 450,000 Electricity 2007-08 400,000 Electricity 2008-09 350,000 300,000 Electricity 2009-10 250,000 Gas 2007-08 200,000 150,000 Gas 2008-09 Megajoules 100,000 Gas 2009-10 50,000 0
Month
Table 17: Emissions by source
BreakdownBreakdown of emissions of emissions 2010-2011 2010-2011
6% Electricity 11% Gas
83% Fuel
78 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 Table 18: Trend consumption
AnnualAnnual Consumption Consumption
4,500,000 4,000,000 3,500,000 3,000,000 2008-2009 2,500,000 2009-2010 2,000,000 1,500,000 2010-2011 1,000,000 500,000 0 Electricity (MJ) Gas (MJ) Water (L)
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 79 Percentage Percentage variance between and 2009-10 2010-11 Variance Variance between 2009-10 and 2010-11 2010-11 result 2010-11 2009-10 2009-10 result 2008-09 2008-09 result 7547.000 7547.000 7547.000 7547.000 0.000 0.000 6418.000 6418.000 6418.000 6418.000 0.000 0.000 4339.000 4339.000 4339.000 4339.000 0.000 0.000 3208.000 3208.000 3208.000 3208.000 0.000 0.000 77.160 83.200 91.500 95.900 4.400 4.809 138.030 144.070 144.000 149.900 5.900 4.097 result Square metres (m2) Square metres (m2) Square metres (m2) Square metres (m2) Numeric (FTE) Numeric (FTE) Unit 2007-08 Total area floor space – net Total lettable area Area office space + frequently used spaces (chamber, committee rooms, reception and exhibition rooms etc) Area non-office space – net lettable area Area office space – net lettable area Non-executive occupancyNon-executive members – Secretariat, private and staff General occupancy – all building Total occupants Indicator Table 19: Detailed environmental 19: performance statisticsTable
80 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 22.642 7.281 Percentage Percentage variance between and 2009-10 2010-11 7.141 Variance Variance between 2009-10 and 2010-11 2010-11 result 2010-11 2009-10 2009-10 result 2008-09 2008-09 result result Gigajoules 5736.688 5646.550 4956.485 4683.141 -273.343 -5.515 Megajoules 5736688.200 5646550.200 4956484.600 4683141.400 -273343.200 -5.515 Megajoules 1690083.000 1822929.000 1553617.000 1724341.000 170724.000 10.989 Percentage 25.200 26.088 31.537 38.678 Percentage N/A 4.158 13.803 17.030 3.227 23.383 kWh 283257.000 277089.000 298100.000 317887.000 19787.000 6.638 kWh N/A 157348.000 167630.000 177917.000 10287.000 6.137 kWh N/A 44159.000 130470.000 139970.000 9500.000 kWh 1124057.000 1062117.000 945241.000 821889.000 -123352.000 -13.050 Megajoules 4046605.200 3823621.200 3402867.600 2958800.400 -444067.200 -13.050 Unit 2007-08 Total office energy use (gas+ office energy Total electricity) Total office energy use (gas+ office energy Total electricity) Gas use Gas Percentage of green + EDL Percentage used energy Percentage of green power Percentage Total green power + EDL energy Total EDL - Landfill gas export energy gas EDL - Landfill Green power - 100% renewable Green power - 100% energy Electricity use Stationary energy use (office) Stationary energy Electricity use Indicator
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 81 -17.914 Percentage Percentage variance between and 2009-10 2010-11 -3178.261 -9.234 Variance Variance between 2009-10 and 2010-11 31241.771 2010-11 result 2010-11 2009-10 2009-10 result 2008-09 2008-09 result 760.128 748.185 656.749 620.530 -36.219 -5.515 893.844 879.799 772.279 729.689 -42.590 -5.515 1788.244 1760.147 1545.039 1459.832 -85.207 -5.515 41561.169 39193.102 34420.032 result Litres 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 Litres 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 Litres 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 Litres 0.000 218.000 3317.000 5765.430 2448.430 73.815 Litres 40491.000 31804.000 22008.000 18065.500 -3942.500 Numeric 13.000 23.000 13.000 13.000 0.000 0.000 Megajoules / m2 Megajoules / m2 Megajoules / m2 FTE Unit 2007-08 Transport fuel (aviation) Transport Transport fuel (CNG) Transport Transport fuel (LPG) Transport Transport fuel (diesel) Transport Transport fuel (petrol) Transport Transport Energy Transport number of vehicles Total Energy intensity per area of total Energy floor space Energy intensity per area of Energy office space + frequently used spaces Energy intensity per area of Energy office space Energy Intensities Energy intensity per personEnergy Megajoules / Indicator
82 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 -17.914 Percentage Percentage variance between and 2009-10 2010-11 Variance Variance between 2009-10 and 2010-11 2010-11 result 2010-11 2009-10 2009-10 result 0.903 0.881 0.721 -0.159 -18.088 2008-09 2008-09 result 0.472 0.384 0.374 0.307 -0.068 -18.088 0.821 0.667 0.651 0.533 -0.118 -18.088 1 . 111 25.820 20.101 19.618 15.437 -4.181 -21.312 result Kilolitres / m2 Kilolitres / m2 Kilolitres / m2 Kilolitres 3564.000 2896.000 2825.000 2314.000 -511.000 -18.088 Gigajoules 1384.792 1096.068 880.046 839.233 -40.814 -4.638 Megajoules 1384792.200 1096068.000 880046.400 839232.612 -40813.788 -4.638 Megajoules 0.000 8371.200 127372.800 221392.512 94019.712 73.815 Megajoules 1384792.200 1087696.800 752673.600 617840.100 -134833.500 Unit 2007-08 Water use per area of total floor Water space Water use per area of office Water space + frequently used spaces Water use per area of office Water space Water intensities Water use per person Water Kilolitres / FTE Water consumption Water water use office Total Total transport energy use transport energy Total (conversion) Total transport energy use (sum transport energy Total of above) Transport fuel - diesel Transport (conversion) Transport fuel - petrol Transport (conversion) Indicator
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 83 Percentage Percentage variance between and 2009-10 2010-11 Variance Variance between 2009-10 and 2010-11 2010-11 result 2010-11 0.842 0.830 -0.012 -1.393 2009-10 2009-10 result 2.512 2008-09 2008-09 result N/A 0.430 0.794 0.756 -0.039 -4.860 N/A N/A 0.238 0.229 0.132 -0.097 -42.362 N/A 23.483 22.087 13.285 -8.803 -39.854 N/A 129.567 67.600 67.600 0.000 0.000 N/A 12.480 12.480 12.480 0.000 0.000 N/A 61.967 114.400 113.300 -1.100 -0.962 N/A 361.920 121.200 102.000 -19.200 -15.842 N/A 34.320 33.000 19.800 -13.200 -40.000 result m3 / FTE m3 / FTE m3 / FTE Reams / FTE Reams N/A 1953.818 2021.000 1274.000 -747.000 -36.962 Unit 2007-08 Estimate of mixed recycling per Estimate of mixed recycling person Estimate of paper recycled per Estimate of paper recycled person Estimate of cardboard recycled per person Resource efficiency Resource Office paper used per person (Secretariat and non-executive) Estimate of waste to landfillEstimate of waste Cubic metres Estimate of organic waste Cubic metres Estimate of mixed recycling Cubic metres Estimate of paper recycled Cubic metres Estimate of cardboard recycled Cubic metres Waste reams of paper purchased Total Indicator
84 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 Percentage Percentage variance between and 2009-10 2010-11 Variance Variance between 2009-10 and 2010-11 1006.754 -111.657 -9.984 2010-11 result 2010-11 1118 . 411 2009-10 2009-10 result 76.917 58.091 58.263 0.172 0.295 2008-09 2008-09 result 9.045 8.298 7.363 6.327 -1.036 -14.068 1345.635 1272.416 97.179 1248.456 1195.499 1060.320 948.492 -111.828 -10.547 111.926 120.649 103.720 116.740 13.020 12.553 1136.530 1074.850 956.600 831.752 -124.848 -13.051 N/A 0.899 0.469 0.451 -0.018 -3.936 N/A 0.087 0.087 0.083 -0.003 -3.936 result / FTE Tonnes CO2-e Tonnes Tonnes CO2-e Tonnes Tonnes CO2-e Tonnes Tonnes CO2-e Tonnes Tonnes CO2-e Tonnes m3 / FTE m3 / FTE Unit 2007-08 Greenhouse gas intensities Greenhouse emissions per personTotal CO2-e Tonnes Total greenhouse gas emissions greenhouse gas Total + fleet) (electricity + gas Greenhouse gas emissions fromGreenhouse gas fleet Office greenhouse gas emissions Office greenhouse gas (electricity + gas) Greenhouse gas emissions fromGreenhouse gas gas Greenhouse gas emissions Greenhouse emissions fromGreenhouse gas electricity Estimate of landfill waste per waste Estimate of landfill person Estimate of organic waste per Estimate of organic waste person Indicator
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 85 Percentage Percentage variance between and 2009-10 2010-11 Variance Variance between 2009-10 and 2010-11 1006.754 -111.657 -9.984 6.716 -1.051 -13.527 2010-11 result 2010-11 1118 . 411 7.767 0.331 0.296 -0.035 -10.547 2009-10 2009-10 result 3.344 4.469 4.482 0.013 0.295 0.373 2008-09 2008-09 result 1345.635 1272.416 1136.530 1074.850 956.600 831.752 -124.848 -13.051 209.105 197.566 161.811 175.003 13.192 8.152 9.749 8.832 7.475 0.165 0.158 0.140 0.126 -0.015 -10.547 0.195 0.186 0.165 0.148 -0.017 -10.547 0.389 result Tonnes CO2-e Tonnes CO2-e Tonnes / FTE vehicle Tonnes CO2-e Tonnes / m2 Tonnes CO2-e Tonnes / m2 Tonnes CO2-e Tonnes / m2 Unit 2007-08
Other indirect emissions (scope 3 ) emissions Total Indirect emissions (scope 2) CO2-e Tonnes Greenhouse gas emissions by Greenhouse gas Scope Direct emissions (scope 1) CO2-e Tonnes Total emissions per personTotal CO2-e Tonnes Transport emissions per vehicleTransport CO2-e / Tonnes Building energy emissions per Building energy total floor space Building energy emissions Building energy per area of office space and frequently used spaces Building energy emissions per Building energy office area Indicator
86 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 Notes to table 19
Notes on intensity indicators Occupancy has been disaggregated by a) total number of building occupants (includes executive members and staff), and b) non-executive occupants (Secretariat staff + non-executive members and their staff). Half-way through 2010-11, the executive assumed responsibility for its own paper recycling,122.9 is the FTE figure that has been used to calculate this intensity measure (reflecting the average number of FTE staff who contributed to the amount of paper deposited in secure and non-secure recycling bins the over the period). Building floor space has been disaggregated by a) office and b) non-office space (chamber, reception rooms etc). Office space and total floor space have been aggregated for intensity indicators. Intensity of transport emissions is measured per vehicle rather than per person (the fleet services a small subset of building occupants and the number of people using each vehicle cannot be accurately measured). Per person and per area indicators are limited to office emissions. The higher number of vehicles in 2008-09 reflects the churn of vehicle leases that occurred during this period rather than an increase in the total number of vehicles administered by the Secretariat at any one time. Notes on conversions Fleet supplier provides transport energy usage in KL fuel consumed. Fuel usage has been converted from L to MJ to allow comparison with electricity and gas (conversion rates used are 34.2 for unleaded, 38.4 for diesel (source: Qld Environmental Protection Agency conversion tables http://epa.qld.gov.au/register/p01295al.pdf) ). Energy used by different fuel types has been summed to obtain total megajoules used for transport. Emissions values are taken directly from electricity, gas and fleet invoices (according to conversions calculated by suppliers) as CO2 coefficients can change depending on the method of generation or production. Electricity has been converted from KwH to MJ to allow comparison with gas usage (1KwH = 3.6 MJ). Note on renewable energy ActewAGL’s billing in 2007-08 and part of 2008-09 did not disaggregate its ‘Green Power’ product from its EDL landfill gas product. Notes on scopes - http://www.climatechange.gov.au/workbook/pubs/workbook-jun09.pdf Scope 1 emissions are taken to be direct emissions produced by fleet and natural gas. Scope 2 emissions are taken to be indirect emissions from electricity off the grid. Scope 3 emissions are taken to be indirect emissions from air travel - whole of life cycle, opportunity cost, etc .
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 87 88 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 APPENDICIES Appendix 1 – Sitting days
Financial Number Number of Average Sittings Average Average time year of sitting hours* hours per after time of of rising days day* 10pm rising Wed/Thurs Tuesday 1988-89 10 55 6 1 6.12 pm 4.12 pm 1989-90 54 353 7 8 9 pm 5.10 pm 1990-91 49 338 7 8 9 pm 5.45 pm 1991-92 48 354 7 12 10 pm 5.42 pm 1992-93 51 356 7 10 9.55 pm 6.48 pm 1993-94 46 324 7 5 9.36 pm 5.30 pm 1994-95 34 249 7 5 9.32 pm 5.42 pm 1995-96 45 314 7 2 Average time of rising 5.33 pm 1996-97 39 315 8 3 6.34 pm 1997-98 34 278 8 1 6.32 pm 1998-99 40 317 8 6 6.43 pm 1999-2000 41 344 8 8 7.11 pm 2000-01 37 306 8 9 6.46 pm 2001-02 34 275 9 4 6.22 pm 2002-03 40 346 9 10 7.08 pm 2003-04 43 414 10 16 8.08 pm 2004-05 36 290 8 5 6.38 pm 2005-06 41 312 8 2 6.04 pm 2006-07 38 292 8 1 6:11 pm 2007-08 40 347 9 7 7.10 pm 2008-09 38 323 9 5 6.40 pm 2009–10 41 350 9 2 6.32 pm 2010–11 44 397 9 6 7.01 pm
* Includes time expended in suspensions and meal breaks 90 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 Appendix 2 – proceedings
Financial Sittings – Sittings Petitions Votes Closure of Matters year adjournment – no presented questions of public debate adjournment and referred agreed to importance debate to ministers discussed 1988-89 6 4 2 4 1 4 1989-90 37 17 31 127 16 25 1990-91 38 11 23 108 18 30 1991-92 30 18 33 119 21 28 1992-93 32 19 34 137 4 41 1993-94 20 26 10 49 - 25 1994-95 21 13 11 57 1 18 1995-96 29 16 46 96 3 10 1996-97 31 8 36 100 - 10 1997-98 24 10 25 76 1 10 1998-99 29 11 20 88 1 10 1999-2000 35 6 14 118 2 4 2000-01 18 19 6 128 - 4 2001-02 26 8 23 65 3 15 2002-03 27 13 23 84 0 12 2003-04 39 4 34 132 - 25 2004-05 32 4 6 86 6 20 2005-06 39 2 13 95 7 24 2006-07 35 3 40 77 11 22 2007-08 33 7 25 92 10 21 2008-09 32 6 15 98 4 26 2009–10 38 3 10 107 - 23 2010–11 42 2 16 149 1 23
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 91 Appendix 3 – Minutes of proceedings
Year Number of pages Number of sittings Average number of pages per sitting 1988-89 40 10 4 1989-90 226 54 4 1990-91 215 49 4 1991-92 292 48 6 1992-93 295 51 6 1993-94 389 46 9 1994-95 269 34 8 1995-96 302 45 7 1996-97 322 39 8 1997-98 342 34 10 1998-99 342 40 9 1999-2000 480 41 12 2000-01 590 37 16 2001-02 606 34 18 2002-03 575 40 14 2003-04 704 43 16 2004-05 463 36 13 2005-06 471 41 12 2006-07 301 38 8 2007-08 484 40 12 2008-09 491 38 13 2009-10 473 41 12 2010-11 610 44 14
92 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 Appendix 4 – Bills and amendments Bills
Executive Private business Members’ total Introduced 63 11 74 Discharged 1 - 1 Withdrawn - - - Not agreed in principle - 2 2 Negatived - - - Passed 50 5 55 Amended 19 5 24 Still before the Assembly 19 16 35
Amendments moved
Year Number of amendments
Motions Bills Total
Feb-June 2001 - - 427 2001-02 - - 488 2002-03 - - 472 2003-04 47 487 534 2004-05 46 389 435 2005-06 47 425 472 2006-07 44 82 126 2007-08 39 497 536 2008-09 90 314 404 2009–10 94 245 339 2010–11 149 348 497
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 93 Appendix 5 – Bills presented
Financial year Executive Private members Total
1988-89 9 1 10 1989-90 48 11 59 1990-91 71 15 86 1991-92 106 26 132 1992-93 95 25 120 1993-94 94 15 109 1994-95 72 14 86 1995-96 77 15 92 1996-97 91 22 113 1997-98 108 26 134 1998-99 70* 31 101 1999-2000 102* 33 135 2000-01 87 24 111 2001-02 47 22 69 2002-03 67 26 93 2003-04 79 27 106 2004-05 64 11 75 2005-06 47 11 58 2006-07 52 8 60 2007-08 47 19 66 2008-09 44 19 63 2009-10 55 17 72 2010-11 63 11 74
* In 1998 Assembly standing orders were amended to make provision for executive members’ business. At the conclusion of the Fourth Assembly this provision lapsed. The total figures include two and four bills presented by executive members in 1998 and 1999 respectively. 94 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 Appendix 6 – Questions with and without notice
Financial year Questions on Questions Supplementary Average No. notice without notice questions asked per sitting* 1988-89 9 131 34 17.4 1989-90 187 684 207 16.5 1990-91 241 685 176 14.5 1991-92 448 490 188 14 1992-93 582 510 163 13.2 1993-94 520 407 173 12.6 1994-95 247 376 206 17 1995-96 210 514 371 19.7 1996-97 163 398 293 17.7 1997-98 68 363 284 11 1998-99 141 352 327 17 1999-2000 108 406 332 18 2000-01 122 352 278 17 2001-02 268 370 302 19.7 2002-03 575 425 330 18.8 2003-04 820 410 347 17.6 2004-05 608 356 283 17.8 2005-06 712 399 314 17.4 2006-07 455 366 296 17.4 2007-08 519 378 299 16.9 2008-09 351 401 330 19.2 2009-10 751 417 1008# 34.7 2010-11 697 445 1257 # 38.7
* Includes supplementary questions # Includes further supplementary questions per standing order 113B ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 95 Appendix 7 – Chamber support service
Timeliness standard 2009–10 result 1 July to 1 January to 30 December 2010 June 2011 Daily Program available by 9 am each sitting 100% 95%^ 100% day (target 100%) Procedures ready for distribution at 9.30 am 100% 100% 100% each sitting day (target 100%) Notice Paper published by 8 pm prior to 85.5% 75%* 86%* sitting (target 100%) Answers to QoNs provided to MLAs and 99.5% 100% 100% Hansard within 1 working day of receipt (target 100%) Legislation processed and placed on 100% 100% 100% Legislation Register within 7 working days of receipt from PCO (target 100%) Proof Minutes of Proceedings published 97.6% 100% 95.5%** within 2 hours of rising/11am Friday (target 100%) Final Minutes of Proceedings published 100% 100% 100% with 2 weeks of conclusion of sitting week/ fortnight (target 100%) Index to Minutes of Proceedings available 100% 100% 100% online within 7 working days after final minutes published (target 100%) Index to Papers available online within 7 100% 100% 100% working days after final minutes published (target 100%) Statistics for Business of the Assembly 100% 100% 83.3%## updated within 5 working days of final minutes published (target 100%) Pre-finalBills List published within 5 working 80% 100% 100% days following sitting week/fortnight (target 100%)
96 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 Timeliness standard 2009–10 result 1 July to 1 January to 30 December 2010 June 2011 Final Bills List published within 2 working 100% 100% 100% days following notification of Bills on Legislation Register (target 100%) Summary of Bills list published within 100% 100% 100% 2 working days following sitting week/ fortnight (target 100%)
^ Server problem experienced. * Sittings went past 8 pm. ** Assembly rose at 2.42 am. # Software upgrade to Windows 7 prevented target from being met.
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 97 Appendix 8 – Attendant, security and facilities management
Timeliness standard 2009–10 result 1 July to 1 January to 30 December 2010 June 2011 Assembly chamber, committee rooms, 100% 100% 100% reception and exhibition rooms prepared on time by attendants (target 100%) Mail distributed within 1 hour of delivery 100% 100% 100% (target 100%) Room booking requests forms forwarded to 98.5% 99% 99% Speaker within 1 working day (target 100%) Security passes produced within 1 working 97.5% 98% 98% day following receipt of fully completed application and photo recorded (target 100%) Legislation folders updated monthly (target 100% 100% 100% 100%) Works/maintenance requests responded to 100% 100% 100% within 1 working day (target 100%)
# System was updated and modified on 29 October 2009.
98 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 Appendix 9 – Committees – Seventh Assembly
Standing Committee on Administration and Procedure
Membership The Speaker (Mr Shane Rattenbury) Ms Amanda Bresnan Mrs Vicki Dunne Mr John Hargreaves (appointed 10 November 2009) Mr Jeremy Hanson (vice Vicki Dunne 20 April to 5 May 2009 and 15 September 2009) Ms Joy Burch (discharged 10 November 2009) Ms Meredith Hunter (vice Amanda Bresnan 17 to 23 August 2010) Secretary: Mr Max Kiermaier (from January 2010 to January 2011) and Mr Tom Duncan (from February 2011) Assistant Secretary: Ms Pattie Tancred (from January 2010 to January 2011) and Ms Janice Rafferty (from February 2011)
Resolution of appointment a) Inquire into and report on, as appropriate: i. the Assembly’s annual estimates of expenditure; ii. the practices and procedure of the Assembly; and iii. the standing orders of the Assembly; b) Advise the Speaker on: i. Members’ entitlements including facilities and services; ii. the operation of the transcription service (Hansard); iii. the availability to the public of Assembly documents; iv. the operation of the Assembly library; and c) Arrange the order of private Members’ business and Assembly business.
New inquiry Inquiry into the feasibility of establishing the position of Officer of the Parliament (self-referred and statement made 5 May 2011).
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 99 Report and statements (pursuant to standing order 246A) Report 3: Application for Citizen’s Right of Reply—Mr Ernest Hocking (tabled 5 May 2011) Statement 1: Select Committee on Estimates 2010–2011—Recommendation No. 1 (8 March 2011) Statement 2: The committee resolved to conduct an inquiry into and report on the feasibility of establishing the position of Officer of the Parliament (5 May 2011) Statement 3: Proposed amendments to the standing and temporary orders (22 June 2011)
Standing Committee on Climate Change, Environment and Water
Membership Ms Meredith Hunter (Chair, elected 12 December 2008) Ms Mary Porter (Deputy Chair, elected 1 July 2011) Mr Zed Seselja Ms Mary Porter (discharged 19 November 2009 and reappointed 23 June 2011) Mr John Hargreaves (from 3 December 2009 to 22 June 2011) Secretary: Ms Margie Morrison (from September 2009 to December 2010), Mrs Nicola Kosseck (from February 2011 to April 2011) and Ms Veronica Strkalj (from May 2011)
Resolution of appointment To examine matters related to climate change policy and programs, water and energy policy and programs, provision of water and energy services, conservation, environment and ecological sustainability.
New inquiry Inquiry into the ecological carrying capacity of the ACT and region (referred 17 August 2010) Annual and Financial Reports 2009–2010 (referred 23 September 2010)
Reports and statements (pursuant to standing order 246A) Report 4—ACT Greenhouse Gas Reduction Targets - Final Report (referred 11 December 2008, tabled 24 August 2010, government response tabled 9 December 2010)
100 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 Report 5— Annual and Financial Reports 2009-2010 (referred 23 September 2010, tabled 5 May 2011) Statement 1: Inquiry into ecological carrying capacity of the ACT and region (17 August 2010) Statement 2: Discussion paper: Inquiry into ecological carrying capacity of the ACT and region (referred 17 August 2010, released 8 October 2010, tabled 19 October 2010)
Standing Committee on Education, Training and Youth Affairs
Membership Ms Amanda Bresnan (Chair, elected 16 December 2008) Mr Jeremy Hanson (Deputy Chair, elected 24 November 2009) Dr Chris Bourke (appointed 23 June 2011) Ms Joy Burch (discharged 19 November 2009) Ms Mary Porter (19 November 2009 to 22 June 2011) Secretary: Dr Sandra Lilburn
Resolution of appointment To examine matters related to early childhood education and care, primary, secondary, post secondary and tertiary education, non-government education, youth services, technology, arts and culture.
New inquiry Annual and Financial Reports 2009–2010 (referred 23 September 2010) Inquiry into the accommodation needs of tertiary education students in the ACT (self-referred 1 March 2011)
Reports Report 3: The educational achievement gap in the ACT (referred 25 June 2009, tabled 6 May 2010, government response tabled 17 August 2010) Report 4: Annual and Financial Reports 2008-2009 (referred 13 October 2009, tabled 6 May 2010, government response tabled 24 August 2010)
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 101 Report 5: Needs of ACT students with a disability (referred 25 June 2009, tabled 21 October 2010, government response tabled 15 February 2011) (progress report on recommendations tabled 23 June 2011) Report 6: Annual and Financial Reports 2009–2010 (referred 23 September 2010, tabled 5 May 2011)
Standing Committee on Health, Community and Social Services
Membership Mr Steve Doszpot (Chair, elected 17 December 2008) Ms Amanda Bresnan (Deputy Chair, elected 25 November 2009) Dr Chris Bourke (appointed 23 June 2011) Ms Joy Burch (discharged 19 November 2009) Ms Mary Porter (19 November 2009 to 22 June 2011) Secretary: Ms Grace Concannon
Resolution of appointment Examine matters related to hospitals, community, public and mental health, health promotion and disease prevention, disability matters, drug and substance misuse, targeted health programs and community services, including services for older persons and women, families, housing, poverty, and multicultural and indigenous affairs.
New inquiries Inquiry into Calvary Public Hospital Options (referred 23 September 2010) Annual and Financial Reports 2009–2010 (referred 23 September 2010)
Report and statements (pursuant to standing order 246A) Report 3: Annual and Financial Reports 2008-2009 (referred 13 October 2009, tabled 18 March 2010, government response tabled 24 August 2010) Report 4: Love Has Its Limits – Respite care services in the ACT (self-referred 16 December 2009, tabled 7 December 2010, government response tabled 5 April 2011) Report 5: Inquiry into Calvary Public Hospital Options (referred 23 September 2010, tabled 31 March 2011)
102 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 Report 6: Annual and Financial Reports 2009–2010 (referred 23 September 2010, tabled 5 May 2011) Statement 1: A Corrigendum to Report 5—Calvary Public Hospital Options (5 May 2 011 )
Standing Committee on Justice and Community Safety
Membership Mrs Vicki Dunne (Chair, elected 9 December 2008) Mr John Hargreaves (Deputy Chair, elected 24 November 2009) Ms Meredith Hunter Ms Mary Porter (19-23 November 2009) Secretary: Dr Brian Lloyd (from 26 July 2011)
Resolution of appointment To perform the duties of a scrutiny of bills and subordinate legislation committee and examine matters related to community and individual rights, consumer rights, courts, police and emergency services, corrections including a prison, governance and industrial relations, administrative law, civil liberties and human rights, censorship, company law, law and order, criminal law, consumer affairs and regulatory services.
New inquiries Annual and Financial Reports 2009–2010 (referred 23 September 2010) Inquiry into the operation of the Prostitution Act 1992 (referred 28 October 2010) Inquiry into Freedom of Information Act 1989 (referred 28 October 2010) Inquiry into ACT Electoral Commission’s Report on the ACT Legislative Assembly Election 2008, Electoral Legislation Amendment Bill 2011 and Electoral (Casual Vacancies) Amendment Bill 2011 (referred 7 April 2011)
Ongoing inquiry Inquiry into Campaign Finance Reform (referred 19 November 2009)
Reports Report 2: Inquiry into the Crimes (Murder) Amendment Bill 2008 (referred 10 February 2009, tabled 27 August 2009, partial government response tabled 15 September 2009, final government response tabled 3 May 2011)
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 103 Report 4: Annual and Financial Reports 2008-2009 (referred 13 October 2009, tabled 25 February 2010, government response tabled 24 August 2010) Report 5: Inquiry into Freedom of Information Act 1989 (referred 28 October 2010, tabled 7 April 2011) Report 6: Annual and Financial Reports 2009–2010 (referred 23 September 2010, tabled 30 June 2011)
Standing Committee on Justice and Community Safety (performing the duties of a Scrutiny of Bills and Subordinate Legislation Committee)
Membership Mrs Vicki Dunne (Chair, elected 9 December 2008) Mr John Hargreaves (Deputy Chair, elected 24 November 2009) Ms Meredith Hunter Ms Mary Porter (19-23 November 2009) Secretary: Ms Janice Rafferty/Mr Max Kiermaier Assistant Secretary: Ms Anne Shannon Legal Adviser (Bills): Mr Peter Bayne Legal Adviser (Subordinate legislation): Mr Stephen Argument
Terms of reference To perform the duties of a scrutiny of bills and subordinate legislation committee and examine matters related to community and individual rights, consumer rights, courts, police and emergency services, corrections including a prison, governance and industrial relations, administrative law, civil liberties and human rights, censorship, company law, law and order, criminal law, consumer affairs and regulatory services. The Standing Committee on Justice and Community Safety (when performing the duties of the Scrutiny of Bills and Subordinate Legislation Committee) shall: a) consider whether any instrument of a legislative nature made under an Act which is subject to disallowance and/or disapproval by the Assembly (including a regulation, rule or by-law): i. is in accord with the general objects of the Act under which it is made; ii. unduly trespasses on rights previously established by law;
104 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 iii. makes rights, liberties and/or obligations unduly dependent upon non- reviewable decisions; or iv. contains matter which in the opinion of the Committee should properly be dealt with in an Act of the Legislative Assembly; b) consider whether any explanatory statement or explanatory memorandum associated with legislation and any regulatory impact statement meets the technical or stylistic standards expected by the Committee; Arrange the order of private Members’ business and Assembly business. c) consider whether the clauses of bills introduced into the Assembly:y-law): i. unduly trespass on personal rights and liberties; ii. make rights, liberties and/or obligations unduly dependent upon insufficiently defined administrative powers; iii. make rights, liberties and/or obligations unduly dependent upon non- reviewable decisions; iv. inappropriately delegate legislative powers; or v. insufficiently subject the xercisee of legislative power to parliamentary scrutiny; d) report to the Legislative Assembly about human rights issues raised by bills presented to the Assembly pursuant to section 38 of the Human Rights Act 2004; and e) report to the Assembly on these or any related matter and if the Assembly is not sitting when the Committee is ready to report on bills and subordinate legislation, the Committee may send its report to the Speaker, or, in the absence of the Speaker, to the Deputy Speaker, who is authorised to give directions for its printing, publication and circulation.
Scrutiny reports No. 25 (released 10 August 2010, tabled 17 August 2010) No. 26 (released 23 August 2010, tabled 24 August 2010) No. 27 (released 20 September 2010, tabled 21 September 2010) No. 28 (released 18 October 2010, tabled 19 October 2010) No. 29 (released 25 October 2010, tabled 26 October 2010) No. 30 (released 15 November 2010, tabled 16 November 2010) No. 31 (released 6 December 2010, tabled 7 December 2010) No. 32 (released 10 February 2011, tabled 15 February 2011) No. 33 (released 3 March 2011, tabled 8 March 2011)
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 105 No. 34 (released 24 March 2011, tabled 29 March 2011) No. 35 (released 4 April 2011, tabled 5 April 2011) No. 36 (released 29 April 2011, tabled 3 May 2011) No. 37 (released 16 June 2011, tabled 21 June 2011) No. 38 (released 27 June 2011, tabled 28 June 2011) No. 39 (released 28 June 2011, tabled 29 June 2011)
Statements (pursuant to standing order 246A) Statement 1: Consideration of proposed amendments to all bills (1 July 2010) Statement 2: Administrative (One ACT Public Service Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill 2011 (23 June 2011)
Standing Committee on Planning, Public Works and Territory and Municipal Services
Membership Ms Mary Porter (Chair, elected 16 December 2008) Ms Caroline Le Couteur (Deputy Chair, elected 16 December 2008) Mr Alistair Coe Secretary: Mrs Nicola Kosseck (July 2010 to April 2011) and Ms Veronica Strkalj (from May 2011)
Resolution of appointment To examine matters related to planning, land management, proposed capital works projects in the public sector, including works undertaken by territory-owned corporations, municipal transport services, heritage and sport and recreation.
New inquiry Variation to the Territory Plan No. 298 – Structure Plan, Concept Plan and Zone Changes – Holt Section 99 Part Block 11 (Belconnen Golf Course) (2 August 2010 ) Draft Variation to the Territory Plan No. 302—Community Facility Zone (referred by Section 73(2) of the Planning and Development Act 2007, 11 June 2010) (18 January 2011) Inquiry into the Tidbinbilla Revised Draft Plan of Management 2011 (11 May 2011)
106 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 Report and statements (pursuant to standing order 246A) Report 4: Inquiry into Live Community Events - Interim Report referred 25 February 2009, tabled10 December 2009, government response tabled 1 July 2010) Report 5: Annual and Financial Reports 2008-2009 (referred 13 October 2009, tabled 23 March 2010, government response tabled 24 August 2010) Report 6: Draft Variation to the Territory Plan No. 299 – Lawson South: Introduction of a Structure Plan, a Concept Plan and Zone Changes (referred by Section 73(2) of the Planning and Development Act 2007, 11 June 2010) (released 5 August 2010, tabled 17 August 2010, government response tabled 19 October 2010) Report 7: Inquiry into Live Community Events: Final Report (referred 25 February 2009, tabled 26 August 2010) Report 8: Variation to the Territory Plan No. 298 – Structure Plan, Concept Plan and Zone Changes – Holt Section 99 Part Block 11 (Belconnen Golf Course) (referred by Section 73(2) of the Planning and Development Act 2007, 11 June 2010) (2 August 2010) (released 5 November 2010, tabled 16 November 2010, government response tabled 15 February 2011) Report 9: RZ3 and RZ4 Residential Redevelopment Policies—Inner North Canberra (referred 25 June 2009, tabled 17 February 2011, government response tabled 21 June 2011) Report 10: Inquiry into Annual and Financial Reports 2009–2010 (referred 23 September 2010, tabled 7 April 2011) Statement 1: Inquiry into the Tidbinbilla Revised Draft Plan of Management 2011 (23 June 2011)
Standing Committee on Public Accounts
Membership Ms Caroline Le Couteur (Chair, elected 16 December 2008) Mr Brendan Smyth (Deputy Chair, elected 16 December 2008) Mr John Hargreaves (from 19 November 2009) Ms Joy Burch (discharged 19 November 2009) Secretary: Dr Andréa Cullen
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 107 Resolution of appointment i. examine a. the accounts of the receipts and expenditure of the Australian Capital Territory and its authorities; and b. all reports of the Auditor-General which have been presented to the Assembly; ii. report to the Assembly any items or matters in those accounts, statements and reports, or any circumstances connected with them, to which the Committee is of the opinion that the attention of the Assembly should be directed; iii. inquire into any question in connection with the public accounts which is referred to it by the Assembly and to report to the Assembly on that question; and iv. examine matters relating to economic and business development, small business, tourism, market and regulatory reform, public sector management, taxation and revenue.
New inquiries Review of Auditor-General’s Performance Audit Report No. 5 of 2009: Administration of employment issues for staff of Members of the ACT Legislative Assembly (adopted as an inquiry 17 August 2010) Review of Auditor-General’s Report No. 8 of 2009: 2008-09 Financial Audits (adopted as an inquiry17 August 2010) Review of Auditor-General’s Report No. 6 of 2009: Government Office Accommodation (adopted as an inquiry 19 August 2010) Inquiry into exposure draft of the Financial Management (Ethical Investment) Legislation Amendment Bill 2010 (exposure draft) (referred 22 September 2010) Annual and Financial Reports 2009–2010 (referred 23 September 2010) Review of Auditor-General’s Report No. 2 of 2009: Follow-up Audit— Implementation of Audit Recommendations on Road Safety (23 September 2010) Review of Auditor-General’s Report No. 1 of 2010: Performance reporting (adopted as an inquiry 28 October 2010) Road Transport (Third-Party Insurance) Amendment Bill 2011 (referred 31 March 2 011 ) Review of Auditor-General’s Report No. 7 of 2010: Management of Feedback and Complaints (adopted as an inquiry 7 April 2011)
108 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 Reports and statements (pursuant to standing order 246A) Report 7: Annual and Financial Reports 2008-2009 (referred 13 October 2009, tabled 25 March 2010, government response tabled 24 August 2010) Report 8: Review of Auditor-General’s Performance Audit Report No. 5 of 2009: Administration of employment issues for staff of Members of the ACT Legislative Assembly (adopted as inquiry 17 August 2010, tabled 19 August 2010, statement made 7 December 2010) Report 9: Review of Auditor-General’s Report No. 4 of 2009: Delivery of Ambulance Services to the ACT Community (adopted as an inquiry 9 February 2010, tabled 26 August 2010, government response tabled 9 December 2010) Report 10: Review of Auditor-General’s Report No. 3 of 2008: Records Management in ACT Government Agencies (adopted as an inquiry 8 December 2009, tabled 26 August 2010, government response tabled 9 December 2010) Report 11: Review of Auditor-General’s Report No. 8 of 2009: 2008-09 Financial Audits (adopted as an inquiry 17 August 2010, tabled 23 September 2010, government response tabled 7 December 2010) Report 12: Review of Auditor-General’s Report No. 2 of 2009: Follow-up Audit— Implementation of Audit Recommendations on Road Safety (tabled 23 September 2010, statement made 31 March 2011) Report 13: Inquiry into ACT Government Procurement (Include Review of Auditor- General’s Report No. 1 of 2009: Road Projects: Fairbairn Avenue Upgrade and Horse Park Drive) (self-referred 7 May 2009, tabled 18 November 2010, government response tabled 28 June 2011) Report 14: Review of Auditor-General’s Report No. 6 of 2009: Government Office Accommodation—Interim Report (adopted as an inquiry 19 August 2010, tabled 15 February 2011) Report 15: Inquiry into the ACT Auditor-General Act 1996 (self-referred 15 September 2009, tabled 17 February 2011) Report 16: Annual and Financial Reports 2009–2010 (referred 23 September 2010, tabled 5 May 2011, Speaker’s response tabled 21 June 2011) Statement 1: The participation and attendance by the Standing Committee on Public Accounts at the 2010 Australasian Council of Public Accounts Committees mid-term meeting held in Hobart on 5 July 2010 I (17 August 2010) Statement 2: The Committee had examined the following Auditor-General’s reports: No. 5/2009 – Administration of employment issues for staff of Members of the ACT Legislative Assembly; No. 8/2009 – 2008-09 Financial Audits; No.
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 109 2/2010 – Student Support Services for Public High Schools and had resolved to conduct inquiries into Nos. 5/2009 and 8/2009 (17 August 2010) Statement 3: Review of Auditor-General’s Report No. 6 of 2009—Government Office Accommodation (19 August 2010) Statement 4: Review of Auditor-General’s Report No. 1 of 2010—Performance reporting (28 October 2010) Statement 5: Inquiry into and report on the exposure draft of the Financial Management (Ethical Investment) Legislation Amendment Bill 2010 (28 October 2010) Statement 6: No further inquiries into Auditor-General’s Report No. 3 of 2010— Delivery of Budget Initiatives. (18 November 2010) Statement 7: Reportable contracts under section 39 of the Government Procurement Act 2001 (18 November 2010) Statement 8: A corrigendum to the Standing Committee on Public Accounts Report No. 15—Inquiry into the ACT Auditor-General Act 1996 (8 March 2011) Statement 9: The expiry of the term of the current Auditor-General—Mrs Tu Pham PSM (29 March 2011) Statement 10: To conclude its consideration of Report No. 7/2010—Management of Feedback and Complaints with the tabling of a summary report and to make no further inquiries into Report No. 9/2010—Follow-up Audit: Courts Administration. (7 April 2011) Statement 11: To consider the Auditor-General’s 2011-2012 Budget submission, pursuant to section 22 of the Auditor-General Act 1996. (3 May 2011) Statement 12: Reportable contracts under section 39 of the Government Procurement Act 2001 (23 June 2011)
Select Committee on Estimates 2011–2012
Membership Mr Brendan Smyth (Chair, elected 15 March 2011) Ms Meredith Hunter (Deputy Chair, elected 15 March 2011) Mr Jeremy Hanson Mr John Hargreaves Ms Caroline Le Couteur Secretary: Ms Grace Concannon
110 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 Resolution of appointment 1. a Select Committee on Estimates 2011-2012 be appointed to examine the expenditure proposals contained in the Appropriation Bill 2011-2012 and any revenue estimates proposed by the Government in the 2011-2012 Budget and prepare a report to the Parliament; 2. the Committee be composed of: a. one Member to be nominated by the Government; b. two Members to be nominated by the Opposition; and c. two Members to be nominated by the Greens; to be notified in writing to the Speaker by 4 pm today; 3. a non-Government Member shall be elected chair of the Committee by the Committee; 4. funds be provided by the Parliament to permit the engagement of external expertise to work with the Committee to facilitate the analysis of the Budget and the preparation of the report of the Committee; 5. the Committee is to report by 21 June 2011; 6. if the Assembly is not sitting when the Committee has completed its inquiry, the Committee may send its report to the Speaker or, in the absence of the Speaker, to the Deputy Speaker, who is authorised to give directions for its printing, publishing and circulation; and 7. the foregoing provisions of this resolution, so far as they are inconsistent with the standing orders, have effect notwithstanding anything contained in the standing orders.
Report Appropriation Bill 2011-2012 (referred 10 March 2011, tabled 21 June 2011, government response tabled 28 June 2011)
Standing Committee on Administration and Procedure Membership The Speaker (Mr Shane Rattenbury) Ms Amanda Bresnan Mrs Vicki Dunne Mr John Hargreaves
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 111 Ms Meredith Hunter (vice Ms Bresnan 17 to 23 August and 3 December 2010) Ms Mary Porter (vice Mr Hargreaves 21 September 2010) Secretary: Mr Tom Duncan/Mr Max Kiermaier Assistant Secretary: Ms Janice Rafferty/Ms Pattie Tancred
Terms of reference a. Inquire into and report on, as appropriate: i. the Assembly’s annual estimates of expenditure; ii. the practices and procedure of the Assembly; and iii. the standing orders of the Assembly. b. Advise the Speaker on: i Members’ entitlements including facilities and services; ii. the operation of the transcription service (Hansard); iii. the availability to the public of Assembly documents; iv. the operation of the Assembly Library; and c. Arrange the order of private Members’ business and Assembly business.
Inquiries Application for Citizen’s Right of Reply: Mr Ernest Hocking (tabled 5 May 2 011 ) Officers of the Parliament – 5 May 2011
112 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011
12 16 28 Select Committee Select Committee on Estimates 2011-12 21 26 23:14 120:18 Climate Change, Environment and Water 17 17 14:01 Justice and Community Safety (scrutiny role) 6 0 5 22 Justice and Community Safety 10 27 Health, Community and Social Services 4 15 22 40 30 Education, and Training Affairs Youth Meeting activity Hours of meetings 12 29 Planning, Public and Works and Territory Municipal Services 42 42 34 Public Accounts 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 3 0 0 0 0 0 8 20 20 12:45 58:13 44:56 17:51 48:18 29:40 Standing CommitteeStanding Administration Administration & Procedure Hours of committee meetings [total] Other kinds of meetings (briefings, roundtables, workshops, etc) Number of site visits/study tours Number of public hearings Number of private meetings Total number of Total meetings
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 113
18 276 Select Committee Select Committee on Estimates 2011-12 2 1 37 22 13:50 29:30 Climate Change, Environment and Water 0 0 15 14:01 Justice and Community Safety (scrutiny role) 60 Justice and Community Safety 21 60 50 Health, Community and Social Services 0 31 Other activity Other Education, and Training Affairs Youth 4 2 2 3 0 2 1 54 86 Planning, Public and Works and Territory Municipal Services 18 10 70 Public Accounts 1 9 5 2 3 2 0 0 0 0:00 0:00 0:00 0:54 0:00 1:45 0:00 0:00 0:00 0:00 0:00 1:15 4:10 6:35 0:00 0:00 0:00 0:00 0:00 19:37 24:03 8:01 25:07 15:30 0:00 9:24 90:48 13:01 38:36 19:38 4:46 16:36 12:25 Standing CommitteeStanding Administration Administration & Procedure Number of reports presented Number of referrals Number of submissions Number of Witnesses Hours of other kinds of meetings Hours of site visits/ study tours Hours of public hearings Hours of private meetings
114 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011
Select Committee Select Committee on Estimates 2011-12 Climate Change, Environment and Water 0 0 0 Justice and Community Safety (scrutiny role) 38 Justice and Community Safety 8 Health, Community and Social Services 35 Education, and Training Affairs Youth 1 0 1 0 2 2 0 37 Planning, Public and Works and Territory Municipal Services 12 21 Public Accounts 0 3 Standing CommitteeStanding Administration Administration & Procedure Number of statutory appointments considered Number of statements made under SO246A
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 115 Appendix 10 – COMMITTEE STATISTICS
Summary of committee statistics 1989-2011
Financial Meetings Meetings Total Public Reports Reports Total year supported number hearings produced reports by Chamber of by Chamber Support meetings Support
1989-90 165 45 210 57 18 11 29 1990-91 185 54 239 45 16 24 40 1991-92 90 29 119 23 12 12 24 1992-93 141 52 193 34 18 28 46 1992-93 141 52 193 34 18 28 46 1993-94 144 48 192 53 3 31 34 1994-95 126 37 163 36 16 18* 34* 1995-96 113 48 161 61 12 25* 37* 1996-97 129 40 169 59 11 21* 32 1997-98 109 45 154 45 35 19 54 1998-99 -- 327 - 61 20* 81* 1999-2000 -- 293 - 57 21 78* 2000-01 -- 228 - 41 15 56 2001-02 -- 126 - 38 19 57 2002-03 230 38 268 81 31 19 50 2003-04 222 41 263 62 40 20 60 2004-05 152 35 152 38 27 20 47 2005-06 231 34 265 61 18 15 33 2006-07 232 36 268 69 21 16 37 2007-08 206 36 243 59 15 17 35 2008-09 221 31 252 61 23 13 36 2009-10 264 20 284 74 21 2 23 2010–11 230 37 267 57 25 16 40
116 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 Consolidated committee statistics
Consolidated statistical return Total Type of meetings - activity Total number of meetings 267 Number of private meetings 201 Number of public hearings 57 Number of site visits/study tours 6 Other kinds of meetings (briefings, roundtables, workshops, etc) 3 Hours of meetings Hours of committee meetings [total] 369:16 Hours of private meetings 162:07 Hours of public hearings 192:30 Hours of site visits/study tours 12:00 Hours of other kinds of meetings 2:39 Inquiry outcomes Number of witnesses 595 Number of submissions 208 Number of referrals 24 Number of reports presented 40 Number of statements made under SO246A 21 Number of statutory appointments considered 139
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 117 Hours of meeting
Jul-10 Oct-10 Feb-11 Apr-11 Jan-11 Jun-11 Dec-10 Sep-10 Aug-10 Mar-11 Nov-10 May-11
Public 5:52 7:01 8:48 2:24 49:01 10:41 1:59 9:25 2:57 92:38 1:44 hearings Private 6:18 12:24 9:14 12:54 12:45 10:54 2:56 18:15 17:20 8:30 6:03 44:34 meetings Inspection/ 3:35 1:50 2:05 2:30 2:00 site visits Other 0:54 1:45 meetings
Number of referrals and ongoing inquiries
Jul-10 Oct-10 Feb-11 Apr-11 Jan-11 Jun-11 Dec-10 Sep-10 Aug-10 Mar-11 Nov-10 May-11
Referrals 069200103322 Ongoing 12 11 12 19 20 17 16 17 15 16 16 12 inquiries Total 12 17 21 21 20 17 17 17 18 19 18 14 ongoing inquiries
118 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 Appendix 11 – Reception and exhibition room (bookings)
Reception room
bookings Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Total 1998 8 10 12 9 4 11 12 11 16 16 14 12 135 1999 3 11 11 3 4 10 7 5 7 6 20 18 105 2000 2 13 15 9 20 19 14 18 13 17 17 13 170 2001 6 10 18 6 17 9 16 12 20 13 13 20 160 2002 1 9 20 15 16 16 11 12 17 20 22 19 178 2003 3 11 22 10 25 15 12 20 23 24 24 19 208 2004 5 16 21 14 26 21 18 35 22 24 22 20 244 2005 2 18 21 19 29 34 20 27 28 33 33 21 285 2006 3 13 30 26 20 23 17 22 25 27 20 22 248 2007 3 14 32 9 17 24 13 20 24 17 20 14 207 2008 18 17 19 21 27 25 14 22 31 21 22 20 256 2009 4 15 20 17 26 17 15 17 12 13 21 14 191 2010 7 18 25 10 22 21 11 21 29 18 22 17 221 2 011 2 16 24 17 17 21 Exhibition room bookings 1998 314201212534 28 1999 025220002066 25 2000 154244423753 44 2001 039320146457 44 2002 005694267658 58 2003 067658432646 57 2004 142467657422 50 2005 0 4 7 2 10 13 7 9 6 13 7 5 83
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 119 Exhibition room
bookings Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Total 2006 2 8 3 6 17 8 5 4 6 3 2 9 65 2007 1 1 4 2 4 6 18 9 7 19 6 4 81 2008 2 3 2 8 18 7 14 14 19 12 6 10 115 2009 0 9 6 8 18 8 12 3 16 3 8 4 95 2010 7 16 22 12 19 17 1 4 3 2 5 4 112 2 011 2 11 9 2 7 3 Total bookings reception and exhibition room by year 1998 11 11 16 11 4 12 14 12 18 21 17 16 163 1999 3 13 16 5 6 10 7 5 9 6 26 24 130 2000 3 18 19 11 24 23 18 20 16 24 22 16 214 2001 6 13 27 9 19 9 17 16 26 17 18 27 204 2002 1 9 25 21 25 20 13 18 24 26 27 27 236 2003 3 17 29 16 30 23 16 26 25 30 28 25 268 2004 6 20 23 14 32 28 24 40 29 28 24 22 291 2005 2 22 28 21 39 47 27 36 34 46 40 26 368 2006 5 21 33 32 43 31 22 26 31 30 22 31 327 2007 4 15 36 11 21 30 31 29 31 36 26 18 288 2008 20 20 21 29 45 32 28 36 50 33 28 30 371 2009 4 24 26 25 44 25 27 20 28 16 29 22 290 2010 14 34 47 22 41 38 12 25 32 20 27 21 333 2 011 4 27 33 19 24 24
120 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 Appendix 12 – Hansard and transcription
Hansard activity
2008-09 2009–10 2010–11 2010–11 Average per Average per Full year Average per quarter quarter quarter Net hours of transcription (see also ‘Net hours of transcription’ tables below) Assembly 61:16 hrs 68:21 hrs 308.45 hrs 77.11 hrs Committees 42:46 hrs 53:07 hrs 164.59 hrs 41.14 hrs
Hansard timeliness
2008-09 2009–10 2010–11 Average per Average per Average per quarter quarter quarter Question time transcript emailed to members by 100% 97.25% 100% 6.30 pm (Target 95%) Question time transcript published on Assembly 100% 97.25% 100% web site by 7pm (Target: 95%)
Uncorrected proof transcript emailed to members 88% 92.5% 94.4% by 10.30 pm on day of sitting (assuming adjournment by 7 pm) (Target 95%) Proof Daily Hansard published 4 working days 100% 100% 100% after day of sitting (assuming adjournment by 7 pm) (Target 95%) Official Weekly Hansard (electronic & hardcopy) Electronic Weekly Hansard published 10 100% 100% 100% working days after last sitting day of the sitting week (Target 95%) Hard copy Weekly Hansard published 20 96% 87.5% 100% working days after last sitting day of the sitting week (Target 95%)
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 121 2008-09 2009–10 2010–11 Average per Average per Average per quarter quarter quarter Daily on Demand DoD to be available for replay on Assembly N/A 92.6% 100% website by the following times: Morning sessions: by 1pm Question time: 45 minutes after the end of QT Afternoon and evening sessions: the next morning (Target 95%) Committee Hansard timeliness Uncorrected proof transcripts of: reference and annual report hearings 100% 100% 100% delivered to committee 3 working days after day of meeting (Target 95%) estimates hearings delivered to committee 100% 100% 100% next working day (Target 95%) Final transcripts: published 20 working days after day of 100% 100% 100% hearing (Target 95%)
Hansard accuracy
2008-09 2009–10 2010–11 Average per Average per Average per quarter quarter quarter Number of significant errors reported by clients 0.16 of an 0.03 of an 0.02 of an per 100 pages of proof Daily Hansard error per 100 error per 100 error per 100 pages pages pages Number of significant errors reported by clients 0.48 of an 1.23 of an 2.01 of an per 100 pages of proof committee transcripts error per 100 error per 100 error per 100 produced pages pages pages
122 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 Net hours of Hansard transcription 2010-2011
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 123
2007-08 254.29
6th Assembly6th Estmates 65hrs - Reference 91hrs - 156hrs Total - 2006-07 207.50
Estmates 61hrs - Reference 96hrs - 157hrs Total -
2005-06 227.24
Estimates 59hrs - Reference 113hrs - 172hrs Total -
2004-05 210.29 Estmates 73hrs - Reference 50hrs - 123hrs Total -
5th Assembly5th 2003-04 293.38
Estmates 113hrs - Reference 90hrs - 203hrs Total -
2002-03 240.42
Estmates 136hrs - Reference 154hrs - 290hrs Total -
2001-02 183.43
Estmates 4hrs - Reference 83hrs - 87hrs Total - 2000-01
4th Assembly4th 215.48
Estmates 49hrs - Reference 153hrs - 202hrs Total -
1999-00 251.05
Estmates 43hrs - Reference 215hrs - 258hrs Total -
1998-99 228.26 Standing/select committee hearings
Estmates 131hrs - Reference 160hrs - 291hrs Total -
1997-98 200.20 Estmates 35hrs - Reference 89hrs - 124hrs Total - 3rd Assembly3rd
Estimates
1996-97 227.08
Estmates 78hrs - Reference 129hrs - 207hrs Total -
1995-96
Estmates 63hrs - Reference 93hrs - 156hrs Total - 224.19
1994-95 174.09
Estmates 2hrs - Reference 119hrs - 121hrs Total -
1993-94 248.35 meetings Assembly Legislative Estmates 103hrs - Reference 141hrs - hrs 244 Total -
2nd Assembly 1992-93
Estmates 72hrs - Reference 49hrs - 121hrs Total - 246.21
1991-92 240.50
Estmates 84hrs - Reference 32hrs - 116hrs Total -
1990-91 234.33
Estmates 78hrs - Reference 59hrs - 137hrs Total -
1989-90 245.15 1st Assembly
Estmates 38hrs - Reference 134hrs - 172hrs Total -
30.54 1988-89 0 Reference 13hrs -
50
350 300 250 200 150 100 Net Hours of Meeting of Hours Net Legislative Assembly for the ACT for the Assembly Legislative Transcription of Hansard Net Hours
124 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 Appendix 13 – Broadcasting and IT
Broadcasting and IT
2008-09 2009–10 2010–11 2010–11 Average per Average per Full year Average per quarter quarter quarter Broadcasting and IT-related activity Number of instances of broadcasting services in relation to: press conferences 05.5 4 7 1.75 multimedia events 26.0 19 51 12.75 teleconferences 2.75 Nil Nil clocks/phones/TVs/ 19.75 22 67 16.75 videos/aerial Number of logged service calls 236.75 234 110 0 275 for the provision of IT advice and support Broadcasting and IT systems availability Number of incidents of non- N/A 0.75 2 0.5 scheduled non-availability of major components of broadcasting infrastructure Number of incidents of non- N/A 3 9 2.25 scheduled non-availability of network and major IT system applications
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 125 Internet & intranet-related activity
2008-09 2009–10 2010–11 Average per Average per Average per quarter quarter quarter Internet Trend client usage of LA internet site* 237MB 279MB 300MB http://www.parliament.act.gov.au Hansard Trend client usage of LA Hansard site* 405MB 437MB 334.5MB http://www.hansard.act.gov.au Intranet Trend client usage of the LA intranet site* 77MB 87.5MB 108MB http://ladotnet/
*measured in megabyte file sizes taken from web logs
(see also chart below) Webstreaming Number of visits to webstreaming page: Within ACTGOV 531 612 710 Outside ACTGOV 451 499 545
(see also chart below) Daily on Demand (DoD) Number of visits to DOD page (see also chart below) 1115 1291
126 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 * NOTE: For performance measurement purposes, the Hansard and Communications Office maintains trend statistics relating to client use of three Legislative Assembly websites: the Assembly’s website http://www. parliament.act.gov.au, the Hansard site http://www.hansard.act.gov.au and the Assembly’s Intranet site http:// lanet. These statistics indicate the trend over time in client use of the websites. Due to the widely varying and complex ways that website ‘hits’ are recorded (page hits, file uploads, unique visitors, reloads, et cetera), they do not purport to provide an accurate measure of individual client use of the sites. The figures are based on file sizes—expressed in megabytes—taken from the web logs. The more client use, the bigger the file sizes will be.
* The Legislative Assembly uses a tracking service which recognises ‘unique visitors’ by their unique IP addresses. Multiple ‘hits’ from a single IP address over a short interval are counted as only one unique visitor as ‘hits’ are likely to be reloads or browser attempts to reconnect. The Assembly will monitor visitor trends over time as a more reliable way to evaluate site usage.
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 127 Appendix 14 - Library and referral services
2008-09 2009–10 2010–11 Average per Average per Average per quarter quarter quarter Library activities Ease of locating resources: No. of publications catalogued or indexed 161 498 125 Percentage of publications catalogued or indexed 100% 100% 100% within 6 weeks of receipt (Cataloguing includes original and copy cataloguing) (Target 100%) No. of journals received from publishers 153 460 115 Percentage of journals on shelves within 5 working 100% 100% 100% days of receipt of latest edition (Target 100%) Interlibrary loans No.of interlibrary loans requested 45 165 41 Percentage of interlibrary loan requests processed 100% 100% 100% within one working day (Target 95%) Percentage of interlibrary loans notified to borrower 100% 100% 100% within one working day of receipt of item (Target 95%) Reference and information service No. of requests for information received from: Assembly clients 256 764 191 ACT public sector clients 130 208 52 Other N/A 63 16 Simple inquiry: percentage resolved within one hour 92.25% 95% 95% (Target 90%)
128 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 2008-09 2009–10 2010–11 Average per Average per Average per quarter quarter quarter Complex inquiry: percentage resolved within five 83.5% 100% 100% working days of notification (Target 70%) Percentage of users satisfied with quality of N/A 100% 100% information provided (Target 90%) Current awareness service—quantity: No. of media items delivered to clients: Assembly clients N/A 55 41 5783 ACT government clients N/A 4823 4609 Items from selected online media websites uploaded N/A 99% 98% to intranet by 12 noon daily, Mon-Fri (Target 100%) Percentage of table of contents of selected journals 100% 100% 100% delivered to clients within three working days of receipt of latest edition (Target 100%) Other services: Australian Standards Percentage of Australian Standards delivered to 99.5% 100% 100% clients within one working day (Target 95%)
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 129 Appendix 15 – Members of the Seventh Assembly BARR, Mr Andrew BOURKE, Dr Chris (declared elected to fill the casual vacancy on 1 June 2011) BRESNAN, Ms Amanda BURCH, Ms Joy COE, Mr Alistair CORBELL, Mr Simon DOSZPOT, Mr Steve DUNNE, Mrs Vicki GALLAGHER, Ms Katy HANSON, Mr Jeremy HARGREAVES, Mr John HUNTER, Ms Meredith LE COUTEUR, Ms Caroline PORTER, Ms Mary RATTENBURY, Mr Shane SESELJA, Mr Zed SMYTH, Mr Brendan STANHOPE, Mr Jon (resigned 16 May 2011)
130 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 Appendix 16 – Office holders of the Seventh Assembly SPEAKER Mr Shane Rattenbury
DEPUTY SPEAKER Ms Mary Porter, AM ASSISTANT SPEAKERS Mrs Vicki Dunne Mr John Hargreaves Ms Caroline Le Couteur
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 131 Appendix 17 – Ministries of the Seventh Assembly Twelfth Stanhope Ministry (1 December 2009) Jon Stanhope Chief Minister Minister for Transport Minister for Territory and Municipal Services Minister for Business and Economic Development Minister for Land and Property Services Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs Minister for the Arts and Heritage
Katy Gallagher Deputy Chief Minister Treasurer Minister for Health Minister for Industrial Relations
Simon Corbell Attorney-General Minister for the Environment, Climate Change and Water Minister for Energy Minister for Police and Emergency Services
Andrew Barr Minister for Education and Training Minister for Planning Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation Minister for Gaming and Racing
Joy Burch Minister for Disability, Housing and Community Services
132 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 Minister for Children and Young People Minister for Ageing Minister for Multicultural Affairs Minister for Women
First Gallagher Ministry (17 May 2011) Katy Gallagher Chief Minister Minister for Health Minister for Industrial Relations Treasurer
Andrew Barr Deputy Chief Minister Minister for Economic Development Minister for Education and Training Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation
Simon Corbell Attorney-General Minister for the Environment and Sustainable Development Minister for Territory and Municipal Services Minister for Police and Emergency Services
Joy Burch Minister for Community Services Minister for the Arts Minister for Multicultural Affairs Minister for Ageing Minister for Women Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 133 Appendix 18 – Remuneration of MLAs ACT Remuneration Tribunal determination No 1, which was effective from 1 July 2010, provided that the basic rate of salary for all members of the Legislative Assembly shall be $118,071. The determination also provided that a member holding any of the following offices would be entitled to the corresponding additional salary as shown in the following table:
Chief Minister $129,878 Deputy Chief Minister $94,457 Minister $82,650 Leader of the Opposition $82,650 Presiding Officer $64,939 Deputy Leader of the Opposition $53,132 Deputy Presiding Officer $17,711 Government Whip $11,807 Presiding member of a committee which is concerned with public affairs rather than $11,807 domestic affairs of the Legislative Assembly Opposition Whip $11,807
134 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 Appendix 19 – Visits by members and parliamentary officers from other legislatures, delegations and other visits
For the period 1 July 2010—30 June 2011
Date Name Place of Origin 6 October 2010 Study visit—Mr Edwin Kenehata, Education Officer, House of Bougainville Representatives 18 and 19 Training Attachment—Ms Mele Tupou, Clerk Assistant, Legislative Tonga November 2010 Assembly 9 February 2011 Parliamentary visit—Lord Lasike, Speaker and Lord Tu’I’afitu, Tonga Deputy Speaker, Legislative Assembly 17 May 2011 Political Party Development Course—Centre for Democratic East Timor, Fiji, Institutions Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines. Solomon Islands, Vanuatu
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 135 Appendix 20 – LAMS Act statistics
Number of staff employment agreements processed
Year Number of Number of Average LAMS contracts non‑executive contracts/ members member 1999-2000 63 12 5.25 2000-01 50 12 4.17 2001-02 (pre-election) 47 12 3.92 2001-02 (post-election) 67 13 5.15 2001-02 total 114 12.5 9.12 2002-03 149 12.5 11.92 2003-04 (prior to new staff structure) 61 12 5.08 2003-04 (transition to new staff structure) 33 12 2.75 2003-04 (following new staff structure) 50 12 4.17 2003-04 total 144 12 12.00 2004-05 (pre-election) 26 12 2.17 2004-05 (post-election) 107 12 8.92 2004-05 total 133 12 11.08 2005-06 87 12 7.25 2006-07 120 12 10.0 2007-08 102 12 8.5 2008-09 (pre-election) 16 12 1.33 2008-09 (post-election) 98 12 8.17 2008-09 total 114 12 9.5 2009-10 71 12 5.91 2010–11 79 13* 6.08
* Note: 13th non-executive member from 2 June 2011.
136 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 Number of non-executive MLAs’ staff employed at each classification at 30 June 2011
Classification Number of staff Full time equivalent (FTE) Senior Adviser Level 2 3 3.0 Senior Adviser Level 1 8 7.8 Adviser Level 2 13 11.9 Adviser Level 1 (Upper) 8 7.3 Adviser Level 1 (Lower) 17 8.8 TOTAL 49 38.8
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 137 Appendix 21 – Activity of the Assembly Branch of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association The Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly branch of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association did not meet during the year, however a number of matters of interest were communicated to members through email and correspondence. Of significance was a discussion paper prepared by Senator the Hon John Hogg, President of the Senate, regarding proposed changes to the structure of the CPA. Nominations for attendance at conferences and CPA correspondence were dealt with electronically. Correspondence from the CPA headquarters and the Australian region are regularly circulated to members and the issues raised include: twinning arrangements with the Parliament of Kiribati; proposed agenda items for future conferences; and restructure of the CPA. During the year the ACT branch was represented at the following events: Meeting of Whips of Australian Parliaments, Hunter Valley, NSW, July 2010 Attendance of the branch’s delegate at the 30th Small Countries Conference and the 56th General Conference in Nairobi, Kenya, 10-19 September 2010 Hosting of the 30th Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Australian and Pacific Regional Conference, Canberra, ACT, 2-5 November 2010, including the attendance of two delegates Visit to the Parliament of Kiribati by two members and the Deputy Clerk, April 2011 On the resolution of the ACT branch of the association it has been agreed that the expenditure incurred from the Assembly’s budget for each CPA conference and seminar be included in the Assembly’s annual report. Some members undertook travel to various CPA events using the allowances made available through study travel. Direct net expenditure associated with the seminars and conferences attended during 2010–11 are as follows: 30th Small Countries Conference and the 56th General Conference in Nairobi, Kenya, 10-19 September 2010 (Mr Hargreaves) $10,229.96. Hosting of the 30th Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Australian and Pacific Regional Conference – Canberra, ACT 2-5 November 2010, including the attendance of two delegates $7851.94. Visit to the Parliament of Kiribati by two members and the Deputy Clerk, April 2011 $13,959.27. In addition, the association membership subscription for the branch for the year was $11,481.01. 138 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 Appendix 22 – Education program
Number of Number of Number of participants participants participants 2008-2009 2009–10 2010–11 Community groups 122 286 282 Delegations 31 125 83 Speaker’s citizenship evening 62 55 184
Public service seminar/tour (includes teacher 216 152 211 PD) Seminars and conventions 55 73 65 Work experience/Internship 7 14 17 School students (from individual school 850 775 628 visits) School students (school debates) 230 225 334 School students (constitutional convention) 60 72 70 Youth parliament 22 0 0 Total 1655 1777 1874
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 139 Appendix 23 – Financial statements and management discussion and analysis
Management Discussion and Analysis for the Legislative Assembly Secretariat for the year ended 30 June 2011
The following management discussion and analysis is intended to accompany the Secretariat's financial statements and to provide a high level overview of the financial results and position of the Secretariat and its business during the year. It also makes observations about the main trends and factors that are likely to affect the Secretariat’s future development, performance and position.
A. General Overview
Objectives
The Legislative Assembly Secretariat, headed by the statutory office of the Clerk of the Assembly is a small agency staffed under the Public Sector Management Act 1994 that is responsible for providing a range of business and procedural advice and support services to the Legislative Assembly.
During the 2009-10 reporting period, the Secretariat developed its 2009-2014 Strategic Plan. That plan sets out:
the primary purpose of the Secretariat which is:
"To assist the Legislative Assembly in fulfilling its responsibilities to the people of the ACT by providing high-quality services, support and advice"; and
a series of priorities to be addressed over the next period of the plan and these were grouped under the following five goals:
1. Improve services to the Assembly and its committees; 2. Enhance accountability and governance arrangements; 3. Build more effective mechanisms for public engagement; 4. Work towards an environmentally sustainable Assembly; and 5. Maintain a highly skilled, satisfied and committed workforce.
Changes in Administrative Structure
The only significant change to the Secretariat’s administrative structure during 2010-11 occurred early in that period following a management decision in June 2010 to re-establish the Secretariat’s financial processing function in house. Since February 2008, that function had been undertaken by the ACT Government’s Shared Services Finance Group under a service level agreement and fee for service arrangement. The decision to re-establish the function within the Secretariat led to the creation of two new positions in the Secretariat’s Corporate Services Office and a minor restructure to accommodate the returning function. This decision was expected to, and did, lead to savings which are reflected in the Secretariat’s financial statements and the following management discussion and analysis.
While there were significant changes during 2010-11 affecting many ACT government agencies as a result of the Government’s adoption of the recommendations of the Hawke Review, that review had no significant 140 impactACT Legislative on the Legislative Assembly Secretariat Assembly Annual Secretariat. Report 2010 – 2011
Management Discussion and Analysis for the Legislative Assembly Secretariat for the year ended 30 June 2011
The following management discussion and analysis is intended to accompany the Secretariat's financial statements and to provide a high level overview of the financial results and position of the Secretariat and its business during the year. It also makes observations about the main trends and factors that are likely to affect the Secretariat’s future development, performance and position.
A. General Overview
Objectives
The Legislative Assembly Secretariat, headed by the statutory office of the Clerk of the Assembly is a small agency staffed under the Public Sector Management Act 1994 that is responsible for providing a range of business and procedural advice and support services to the Legislative Assembly.
During the 2009-10 reporting period, the Secretariat developed its 2009-2014 Strategic Plan. That plan sets out:
the primary purpose of the Secretariat which is:
"To assist the Legislative Assembly in fulfilling its responsibilities to the people of the ACT by providing high-quality services, support and advice"; and
a series of priorities to be addressed over the next period of the plan and these were grouped under the following five goals:
1. Improve services to the Assembly and its committees; 2. Enhance accountability and governance arrangements; 3. Build more effective mechanisms for public engagement; 4. Work towards an environmentally sustainable Assembly; and 5. Maintain a highly skilled, satisfied and committed workforce.
Changes in Administrative Structure
The only significant change to the Secretariat’s administrative structure during 2010-11 occurred early in that period following a management decision in June 2010 to re-establish the Secretariat’s financial processing function in house. Since February 2008, that function had been undertaken by the ACT Government’s Shared Services Finance Group under a service level agreement and fee for service arrangement. The decision to re-establish the function within the Secretariat led to the creation of two new positions in the Secretariat’s Corporate Services Office and a minor restructure to accommodate the returning function. This decision was expected to, and did, lead to savings which are reflected in the Secretariat’s financial statements and the following management discussion and analysis.
While there were significant changes during 2010-11 affecting many ACT government agencies as a result of the Government’s adoption of the recommendations of the Hawke Review, that review had no significant impact on the Legislative Assembly Secretariat.
Risk Management
Through the Secretariat’s ongoing program of risk assessment, treatment and review, no risks have been identified that have a significant financial management exposure.
The Secretariat’s internal audit committee continues to play an important role in regularly reviewing the risk management program of the organisation and providing assurance to the Clerk of the Assembly in relation to a number of governance and financial processing functions.
As outlined in Notes 27 and 53 to the Secretariat's 2010-11 financial statements, the Secretariat has assessed and evaluated its risk exposure in the areas of "interest rates", "credit", "liquidity" and "price" and has concluded that all of these risks were either relatively minor or non-existent.
Information Provided
The following financial information is based on audited financial reports for 2009-10 and 2010-11 and the forward estimates contained in Budget Paper Number 4 for 2011-12:
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 141 B. Financial Performance
Net Cost of Services
The Secretariat's net cost of services is summarised in the following table and illustrated in the graph below:
Actual Budget Actual Budget Forward Estimate Forward Estimate 2009-10 2010-11 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 $m $m $m $m $m $m total expenditure 7.628 7.425 7.371 7.635 7.775 7.867 total own source revenue 0.835 0.265 0.704 0.359 0.359 0.359 net cost of services 6.793 7.160 6.667 7.276 7.416 7.508
9 8 7 6 5 $m 4 total expenditure 3 total own source revenue 2 net cost of services 1 0 Actual Actual Budget Budget 2009-10 2010-11 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 Forward Forward Estimate Estimate
Comparison to 2010-11 Budget and 2009-10 Actual Net Cost of Services
The Secretariat’s net cost of services for 2010-11 of $6.667m was $0.493m lower than the 2010-11 Original Budget and $0.126m lower than the equivalent cost in 2009-10. There were several factors that contributed to these reductions in cost, including:
the re-establishment of the Secretariat’s financial processing function in house (which has led to estimated reduction in costs of $0.130m [recurrent]). While the management decision to re-establish this function in-house was taken before the commencement of the 2010-11 financial year, it occurred after the budget for the year had been finalised, meaning that the change in anticipated costs were not reflected in the 2010-11 budget; lower than budgeted expenditure on preventative building maintenance; and lower than budgeted expenditure on consultants – this was due to a combination of factors but included some anticipated projects not eventuating and some costs that were encountered in 2009- 10 but which did not recur in 2010-11.
Reasons for fluctuations between actual and budgeted figures for total own source revenue are discussed in the relevant section below.
Future Trends
The Secretariat's net cost of services is projected to grow in line with normal indexation parameters.
142 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 Total Expenditure
The Secretariat's total actual and budgeted expenditure for 2010-11, and the total actual expenditure for 2009-10, are broken down in the following table:
Expenditure Type Actual Budget Actual 2010-11 2010-11 2009-10 $m $m $m Employees 3.694 3.579 3.509 Superannuation 0.577 0.603 0.563 Supplies and Services 3.033 3.175 3.460 Depreciation 0.065 0.068 0.057 Other 0.002 0 0.039 TOTAL 7.371 7.425 7.628
Components of Expenditure
The components of the Secretariat's 2010-11 actual expenditure are illustrated in the following chart:
Components of Total Expenditure 2010-11
Depreciation 0.9% Other 0.03%
Supplies and Services 41.1% Employees 50.1%
Superannuation 7.8%
Employee expenses, when combined with superannuation expenses (which are reported separately in budget papers and financial statements) accounted for $4.271m, or 58%, of the Secretariat's total expenditure (compared to 53% in 2009-10). Supplies and Services expenses totalling $3.033m was the other significant component, representing 41% of total expenditure (compared to 45% in 2009-10). These changes to proportions of total expenditure are predominantly due to a $0.427m (or 12%) reduction in supplies and services expenditure (this is discussed in more detaildetail below), combined with a shift of some of those expenses to employee expenses associated with the re-establishment of the financial processing function.
In the coming years, the proportions of employee/superannuation expenses and supplies and services expenditure are expected to remain at the levels occurring in 2010-11.
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 143 As in previous years, the two most significant contributors to the Secretariat's supplies and services expenses continued to be:
building management ($0.641m, or 21%); and information technology running costs ($0.635m, or 21%).
The significant building management costs reflect the Assembly's occupancy of the Territory owned Assembly Building and the Secretariat's management of that building, on behalf of the Territory. The proportion of those costs that are attributable to the space occupied in the Legislative Assembly Building by the ACT Executive are reported each year by the ACT Executive as a resource provided free of charge by the Assembly Secretariat. Due to an expansion of this approach identified and adopted through the 2010-11 financial audit process, a further proportion of those costs attributable to the space in the Legislative Assembly Building not occupied by the ACT Executive or the Assembly Secretariat has been reported in 2010-11 in the Assembly Secretariat’s Territorial financial statements as a resource provided free of charge by the Assembly Secretariat’s Departmental entity. This revised approach is discussed in further detail in the total own source revenue section below.
Comparison to Budget
The Secretariat's total expenditure of $7.371 in 2010-11 was $0.055m lower than the budgeted but, despite being close to budget, there were some significant underlying variances from budgeted expenditure that largely offset one another. A revised approach that was identified and adopted through the 2010-11 financial audit process was to recognise, as an expense (but also as revenue and therefore having no effect on the operating result) the value of rental ($0.361m) attributable to the proportion of space within the Legislative Assembly Building occupied by the Assembly Secretariat. This expense has been treated as a resource provided free of charge by the Legislative Assembly’s Territorial entity. That expense was not recognised in the original budget. Had it been identified in the original budget, total expenses would have been $0.416m lower than the budgeted amount and the main causes for this include:
a reduction of approximately $0.130m due to the re-establishment of the Secretariat’s financial processing function in house (discussed above); lower than budgeted expenditure on preventative building maintenance; and reduced expenditure on consultants – due to a combination of factors but included some anticipated projects not eventuating and some costs that were encountered in 2009-10 but which did not recur or arise in 2010-11.
Comparison to 2009-10 Actual Expenditure
The Secretariat's total expenditure of $7.371 in 2010-11 was $0.257m lower than the equivalent expenditure in 2009-10. As discussed above, the 2010-11 actual expense includes an amount of $0.361m that was not previously recognised as an expense, but for comparative purposes, the financial statements reflect the equivalent expenses in the 2009-10 Actual.
The main reasons for this reduction in total expenditure compared to 2009-10 are the same as those factors discussed above that would have led to lower than budgeted expenses, had it not been for the recognition of the significant unbudgeted expense.
Future Trends
The Secretariat's total expenditure is budgeted to increase in line with normal indexation parameters over the next three years. The 2012-13 budget papers will reflect the changes in approach identified above concerning rent and building management expenses being provided and received free of charge respectively by the Assembly’s Territorial and Departmental entities.
144 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011
Total Own Source Revenue
The Secretariat's net cost of services reflects a small amount of own source revenue and these sources of revenue are discussed in more detail in notes 5 to 9 of the 2010-11 Departmental Financial Statements. The most significant component of this own source revenue relates to those resources received by the Assembly free of charge from other ACT entities, namely:
legislative drafting and reporting services provided to non-Executive Members and the Secretariat from the Parliamentary Counsel’s Office; legal services provided to the Secretariat by the ACT Government Solicitor’s Office; and for the first time in 2010-11, due to a revised approach that was identified and adopted through the 2010-11 financial audit process, the value of rental ($0.361m) attributable to the proportion of space within the Legislative Assembly Building occupied by the Assembly Secretariat (despite being included for the first time in 2010-11, a prior year comparative cost [$0.370m] has been shown for 2010 in the 2011 financial statements and notes).
It is an accounting requirement that the value of such services is treated as revenue, but there is also a corresponding expense recognised in the financial statements. Accordingly, fluctuations in the cost of these services have no impact on the “net cost of services”.
The following table shows a break down of the Secretariat's Own Source Revenue for 2010-11 (both budgeted and actual) as well as the actual 2009-10 amounts. The table also shows the proportion that each individual amount represented of total own source revenue:
Revenue Type Actual Proportion of Budget Actual 2010 -11 Total 2010-11 2010-11 2009 -10 $m Own Source $m $m Revenue
Resources Received Free of Charge 0.643 91.3% 0.209 0.736
Interest and Distribution 0.022 3.1% 0.016 0.012
Other Revenue 0.029 4.1% 0.040 0.085
Gains 0.010 1.5% - 0.002
Total 0.704 100% 0.265 0.835
Note re Interest and Distribution: As shown in the Secretariat’s Departmental financial statements and notes, the Secretariat also invests funds with the Territory Bank Account in the Cash Enhanced Portfolio. The gain on investments is due to a change in the way the Cash Enhanced Portfolio operates. In the previous year, the Territory Banking Account adjusted cash distributions for unrealised gains and losses on the investment. The Secretariat still earns interest on its operating account, and reports it as such.
Comparison to Budget
The Secretariat's Own Source Revenue for 2010-11 ($0.704m) exceeded the budgeted amount by $0.439m.
This was almost entirely due to the inclusion of rental of $0.361m as a resource provided free of charge (discussed above) but which was not identified in the original budget. Excluding this adjustment, an underlying increase of $0.067m in own source revenue was mainly due to the value of legislative drafting and legal services ($0.283m) provided free of charge by the ACT Department of Justice and Community Safety (predominantly the drafting of bills for non-Executive Members by the Parliamentary Counsel's
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 145 Office) exceeding the budgeted amount. The cost of these services can be difficult to accurately forecast from year to year but, as noted above, fluctuations do not impact on the net cost of services because an equivalent expense is also recognised for any such revenue.
Comparison to 2009-10 Actual Own Source Revenue
The Secretariat's Own Source Revenue decreased by $0.131m from $0.835m in 2009-10. The decrease is mainly due to unusually high costs of legal services in the 2010-11 year associated with a complex employment matter.
146 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 C. Financial Position
Total Assets
The value of the Secretariat's Total Assets at 30 June 2011 was $1.838m and the composition and proportions of this total amount are shown respectivelyrespectively in the following table and chart:
Asset category Value $m Current Cash and cash equivalents 0.025 Receivables 0.028 Investments 0.543 Prepayments 0.001 Non-Current Property, Plant and Equipment 1.241 TOTAL 1.838
Total Assets Cash and cash Receivables 1.5% equivalents 1.4%
Investments 29.5%
Prepayments 0.1% Property, Plant and Equipment 67.5%
As the above table and graph illustrates, the two major categories of assets are property, plant and equipment ($1.241m, or 67.5%) and investments ($0.543m, or 29.5%).
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 147 Property, Plant and Equipment
The composition and proportion of the total of this class of asset at 30 June 2011 is shown in the following table and chart:
Leased Motor Equipment Furniture Library Collection Artwork Vehicles $31,000 $157,000 $128,000 $259,0000 $666,000
Property, Plant and Equipment 2010-11
Leased Motor Vehicles 2%
Equipment 13%
Artwork 54% Furniture 10%
Library Collection 21%
Cash and Cash Equivalents and Investments
The composition and proportion of the total of this class of asset at 30 June 2011 is shown in the following table and chart:
Cash at Bank Cash on Hand Investments $24,000 $1,000 $543,000
Cash & Cash Equivalents Cash at Bank and Investments 4.2% Cash on Hand 0.2%
Investments 95.6%
148 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 Comparison to Budget
The following table shows the composition of the Secretariat’s Total Asset position as at 30 June 2011 compared to 2010-11 budget and as at 30 June 2010:
Asset category Actual Original Budget Actual 30 June 2011 30 June 2011 30 June 2010 $m $m $m Current - Cash and cash equivalents 0.025 0.152 0.026 - Receivables 0.028 0.049 0.028 - Investments Included in cash and cash 0.543 equivalent 0.232 - Prepayments 0.001 - - Non-Current - Property, Plant and Equipment 1.241 1.031 1.222 Total Assets 1.838 1.232 1.508
The total Asset position of $1.838m at 30 June 2011 was $0.606m higher than the 2011 budgeted amount mainly due to the increased cash held in investment. This increase arose because cash outflows for operating expenses were lower than cash inflows from all sources of revenue (which is predominantly the Government Payment for Outputs) as a result of lower than budgeted expenditure (see earlier analysis of total expenditure). Under cash management arrangements put in place some years ago by ACT Treasury, the Secretariat retains and invests cash that, in the immediate term, it does not require for operational purposes. Another factor was that increased asset values reflected in the 30 June 2010 values were determined after the 2011 budget had been finalised.
Comparison to 30 June 2010 Actual
The increase of $0.330m from the 30 June 2010 total Asset value was mainly due to the increase in cash held in investment (discussed above).
Total Liabilities
The following table shows the composition of the Secretariat's total Liabilities as at 30 June 2011, compared to 2010-11 budget and as at 30 June 2010:
Liability Category Actual Original Budget Actual 30 June 2011 30 June 2011 30 June 2010 $m $m $m Current - Payables 0.285 0.129 0.289 - Finance Leases 0.008 0.014 0.020 - Employee Benefits 1.264 1.008 1.329 Non-Current Liabilities - Finance Leases 0.023 0.041 - - Employee Benefits 0.080 0.409 0.060 Total Liabilities 1.660 1.601 1.698
The value of current and non-current employee benefits at 30 June 2011 totalled $1.344m and accounted for 81% of total Liabilities at that date. The classification of current and non-current employee benefit liabilities is determined according to a methodology developed by the Department of Treasury following an actuarial assessment. This accounting treatment reflects the potential for each staff member's leave entitlements to be paid out if they resign or retire and results in a high proportion of benefits being classified as current but, in practice, the likelihood that all staff would leave the organisation over the next 12 months is extremely low.
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 149
The comparisons of total Liabilities, including for employee benefits, between 30 June 2011 and both the original budget and 30 June 2010 are as follows:
Comparison to Budget
Total Liabilities at 30 June 2011 is just $0.059 higher than originally budgeted which is close to original budget but, within that total:
payables were significantly higher than the budgeted figure, bearing in mind that budgeting for these amounts is hard to accurately predict; and the combined value of current and non-current Employee Benefits decreased but the original budget amounts did not fully take account of a shift in liabilities toward current from non-current that was identified after the finalisation of the 2011 budget but before 30 June 2010.
Comparison to 2009-10 Actual
The minor decrease of $0.038m in Total Liabilities at 30 June 2011 compared to 30 June 2010 is mainly due to a combination of minor variations:
employee benefits decreased overall due to reductions in annual and long service leave liabilities; and this decrease was partially offset by an increase in the value of finance lease commitments for the Clerk’s motor vehicle and an increase in payables due to the value of invoices held at 30 June 2011.
150 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 D. Territorial Statement of Income and Expenses
Total Income
Territorial income is almost entirely in the form of a Payment for Expenses on Behalf of the Territory (EBT) which meets the cost of salaries and related employment entitlements for the 131 non-Executive MLA's and their staff. The EBT payment was $5.445 in 2010-11, which was $0.180m less than budgeted. The full budgeted amount was not drawn down as it was not required to meet cash expenses.
A revised approach identified and adopted through the 2010-11 financial audit process has recognised that the Secretariat’s Territorial entity receives a resource free of charge from the Secretariat’s Departmental entity. The value of that resource, which is recognised as both revenue and an expense, was $0.352m in 2010-11 ($0.326 in 2009-10). The amount is based on the proportion of the building maintenance and management expenses incurred by the Secretariat’s Departmental entity that equate to the space in the Assembly building utilised by the Assembly but not occupied by the Legislative Assembly Secretariat and the ACT Executive.
Total Income for the Territorial entity was $5.804m, which was $0.179m higher than the original budget. That increase from the budgeted amount is the net effect of the unbudgeted decrease in EBT and unbudgeted increase in resources received free of charge discussed above. The Total Income was $0.048m higher than 2009-10.
Total Expenditure
Total Territorial expenditure for 2010-11 was $6.226m.
Comparison to Budget
Total expenditure was $0.160m less than budgeted, although the total expenditure did include an amount of $0.352m representing building expenses paid by the Assembly’s Departmental entity and provided free of charge (discussed above) to the Territorial entity. The amount of those resources is based on the Assembly Building’s total floor area, less the areas occupied by the ACT Executive and the Assembly Secretariat. The inclusion of this expense was identified and adopted through the 2010-11 financial audit process and was therefore not included in the original budget figure.
Had the original budget included this amount, the total expenditure would have been $0.512m less than budgeted. This variance is mainly due to budgets not being fully adjusted to reflect likely expenditure for employee expenses, superannuation and depreciation. This is expected to be addressed in 2012-13.
Comparison to 2009-10 Actual Amounts
Total expenditure was $0.099m lower than 2009-10 and this was mainly due to a reduction in the number of staff who elect to accrue long service leave (most staff elect to be paid an allowance in lieu) and a corresponding reduction in the expenses associated with accrued long service leave.
In 2010-11, employee expenses (including superannuation) represented 76% of total expenditure (85% if combined with superannuation expenses). This reflects the fact that the Secretariat's Territorial budget is used to manage the non-discretionary entitlements that exists for the 131 non-Executive Assembly Members and their staff.
1 For most of the 2010-11 reporting period, there were 12 non-Executive MLAs. Following the resignation in May 2011 of Mr Jon Stanhope MLA as a Minister and, shortly afterwards, as a member, the resultant casual vacancy was filled on 2 June 2011 by Dr Chris Bourke MLA, increasing the number of non-Executive MLAs to 13.
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 151
The components of the Total Territorial expenditure for 2010-11 are set out in the following table and illustrated in the following chart:
Employee Superannuation Supplies and Borrowing Expenses Expenses Services Depreciation Costs TOTAL $m $m $m $m $m $m 4.711 0.611 0.421 0.466 0.017 6.226
Total Expenditure 2010-11
Depreciation 7.5% Borrowing Costs 0.3% Supplies and Services 6.8%
Superannuation Expenses 9.8%
Employee Expenses 75.7%
152 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 153 154 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 155 Legislative Assembly Secretariat Financial Statements For the Year Ended 30 June 2011
Statement of Responsibility
In my opinion, the financial statements are in agreement with the Legislative Assembly Secretariat’s accounts and records and fairly reflect the financial operations of the Legislative Assembly Secretariat for the year ended 30 June 2011 and the financial position of the Legislative Assembly Secretariat on that date.
Tom Duncan Clerk Legislative Assembly Secretariat August 2011
156 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 Legislative Assembly Secretariat Financial Statements For the Year Ended 30 June 2011
Statement by the Chief Finance Officer
In my opinion, the financial statements have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and are in agreement with the Legislative Assembly Secretariat’s accounts and records and fairly reflect the financial operations of the Legislative Assembly Secretariat for the year ended 30 June 2011 and the financial position of the Legislative Assembly Secretariat on that date.
Melody Carr Chief Finance Officer Legislative Assembly Secretariat August 2011
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 157 Legislative Assembly Secretariat
DEPARTMENTAL FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 JUNE 2011
158 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 Legislative Assembly Secretariat Operating Statement For the Year Ended 30 June 2011 Original Actual Budget Actual Note 2011 2011 2010 No. $’000 $’000 $’000 Income
Revenue Government Payment for Outputs 4 7,030 7,048 6,662 Interest and Distribution 5 22 16 12 Resources Received Free of Charge 6 643 209 736 Other Revenue 7 29 40 85 Total Revenue 7,724 7,313 7,495
Gains Gains on Investments 8 2 - - Other Gains 98 - 2 Total Gains 10 - 2
Total Income 7,734 7,313 7,497
Expenses Employee Expenses 10 3,694 3,579 3,509 Superannuation Expenses 11 577 603 563 Supplies and Services 12 3,033 3,175 3,460 Depreciation 13 65 68 57 Borrowing Costs 14 2 - 2 Other Expenses 15 - - 37
Total Expenses 7,371 7,425 7,628
Operating Surplus/(Deficit) 363 (112) (131) Other Comprehensive Income Increase in Asset Revaluation Surplus - - 123 Total Other Comprehensive Income - - 123
Total Comprehensive Income/(Deficit) 363 (112) (8)
The above Operating Statement should be read in conjunction with the accompanying notes.
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 159 Legislative Assembly Secretariat Balance Sheet For the Year Ended 30 June 2011 Original Actual Budget Actual Note 2011 2011 2010 No. $’000 $’000 $’000 Current Assets
Cash and Cash Equivalents 19 25 152 26 Receivables 20 28 49 28 Investments 21 543 - 232 Prepayments 1 - -
Total Current Assets 597 201 286 Non-Current Assets Property, Plant and Equipment 22 1,241 1,031 1,222
Total Non-Current Assets 1,241 1,031 1,222
Total Assets 1,838 1,232 1,508
Current Liabilities Payables 23 285 129 289 Finance Leases 24 8 14 20 Employee Benefits 25 1,264 1,008 1,329
Total Current Liabilities 1,557 1,151 1,638
Non-Current Liabilities Finance Leases 24 23 41 - Employee Benefits 25 80 409 60
Total Non-Current Liabilities 103 450 60
Total Liabilities 1,660 1,601 1,698
Net Assets/(Liabilities) 178 (369) (190)
Equity Accumulated (Deficits) (468) (892) (836) Asset Revaluation Surplus 26 646 - 393 Other Reserves - 523 253
Total Equity 178 (369) (190)
The above Balance Sheet should be read in conjunction with the accompanying notes.
160 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 Legislative Assembly Secretariat Statement of Changes in Equity For the Year Ended 30 June 2011
Asset Accumulated Revaluation Other Total Deficits Surplus Reserves Equity Original Actual Actual Actual Actual Budget Note 2011 2011 2011 2011 2011 No. $’000 $’000 $’000 $’000 $’000
Balance at the Beginning of the (836) 393 253 (190) (262) Reporting Period
Comprehensive Income Operating Surplus/(Deficit) 363 - - 363 (112)
Total Comprehensive Income/(Deficit) 363 - - 363 (112)
Transfers to/(from) Other Reserves 26 - 253 (253) - -
Transactions Involving Owners Affecting Accumulated Deficits
Capital Injections 5 - - 5 5
Total Transactions Involving Owners 5 - - 5 5 Affecting Accumulated Deficits
Balance at the End of the Reporting Period (468) 646 - 178 (369)
The above Statement of Changes in Equity should be read in conjunction with the accompanying notes.
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 161 Legislative Assembly Secretariat Statement of Changes in Equity - Continued For the Year Ended 30 June 2011
Asset Accumulated Revaluation Other Total Deficits Surplus Reserves Equity Actual Actual Actual Actual Note 2010 2010 2010 2010 No. $’000 $’000 $’000 $’000
Balance at the Beginning of the (738) 270 253 (215) Reporting Period
Comprehensive Income Operating (Deficit) (131) - - (131) Increase in Asset Revaluation Surplus 26 - 123 - 123
Total Comprehensive (Deficit)/Income (131) 123 - (8)
Transactions Involving Owners Affecting Accumulated Deficits
Capital Injections 2 - - 2 Net Assets Transferred in as part of an 31 - - 31 Administrative Structure
Total Transactions Involving Owners 33 - - 33 Affecting Accumulated Deficits
Balance at the End of the Reporting Period (836) 393 253 (190)
162 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 Legislative Assembly Secretariat Cash Flow Statement For the Year Ended 30 June 2011 Original Actual Budget Actual Note 2011 2011 2010 No. $’000 $’000 $’000 Cash Flows from Operating Activities
Receipts Government Payment for Outputs 7,030 7,048 6,662 Interest and Distribution Received 22 16 12 Other 77 204 112 Goods and Services Input Tax Credits from the 243 - 293 Australian Taxation Office Goods and Services Tax Collected from Customers - - 11
Total Receipts from Operating Activities 7,372 7,268 7,090
Payments Employee 3,632 3,544 3,474 Superannuation 568 603 563 Supplies and Services 2,785 2,959 2,561 Goods and Services Input Tax Credits Remitted to 6 - 11 the Australian Taxation Office Good and Services Tax Paid to Suppliers 26 - 275 Other 2 164 - Total Payments from Operating Activities 7,019 7,270 6,884 Net Cash Inflows/(Outflows) from Operating 31 353 (2) 206 Activities
Cash Flows from Investing Activities
Receipts Proceeds from Sale of Property, Plant and Equipment 26 - 2 Proceeds from Investments 30 - 2 Total Receipts from Investing Activities 56 - 2
Payments Purchase of Investments 327 - 232 Purchase of Property, Plant and Equipment 61 5 60 Total Payments from Investing Activities 389 5 292
Net Cash (Outflows) from Investing Activities (333) (5) (290)
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 163 Legislative Assembly Secretariat Cash Flow Statement - Continued For the Year Ended 30 June 2011
Original Actual Budget Actual Note 2011 2011 2010 No. $’000 $’000 $’000 Cash Flows from Financing Activities
Receipts Capital Injections 553 Total Receipts from Financing Activities 5 5 3
Payments Repayment of Finance Lease Liabilities 26 - 36 Total Payments from Financing Activities 26 - 36
Net Cash(Outflows)/Inflows from Financing (21) 5 (33) Activities
Net (Decrease) in Cash and Cash Equivalents (1) (2) (117) Held
Cash and Cash Equivalents at the Beginning of the 26 154 143 Reporting Period
Cash and Cash Equivalents at the End of the 31 25 152 26 Reporting Period
The above Cash Flow Statement should be read in conjunction with the accompanying notes.
164 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 Legislative Assembly Secretariat Departmental Statement of Appropriation For the Year Ended 30 June 2011
Original Total Appropriation Appropriation Budget Appropriated Drawn Drawn 2011 2011 2011 2010 $’000 $’000 $’000 $’000 Departmental
Government Payment for Outputs 7,048 7,048 7,030 6,662 Capital Injections 5553 Total Departmental Appropriation 7,053 7,053 7,035 6,665
The above Departmental Statement of Appropriation should be read in conjunction with the accompanying notes.
Column Heading Explanations
The Original Budget column shows the amounts that appear in the Cash Flow Statement in the Budget Papers. This amount also appears in the Cash Flow Statement of the Legislative Assembly Secretariat.
The Total Appropriated column is inclusive of all appropriation variations occurring after the Original Budget.
The Appropriation Drawn is the total amount of appropriation received by the Legislative Assembly Secretariat during the year. This amount appears in the Cash Flow Statement of the Secretariat.
Variances between ‘Total Appropriated’ and ‘Appropriation Drawn’
Government Payment for Outputs Consistent with the arrangements applying to all Territory entities, the Secretariat did not draw down $18,000 of the Government Payment for Outputs appropriated in recognition of lower than budgeted expenses related to those superannuation liabilities arising from staff membership of the CSS and PSS Schemes.
Capital Injections There was no difference between the Total Appropriated and the Appropriation Drawn for this reporting period.
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 165 Legislative Assembly Secretariat DEPARTMENTAL NOTE INDEX
Note 1 * Objectives of the Legislative Assembly Secretariat Note 2 * Summary of Significant Accounting Policies Note 3 * Change in Accounting Policy and Accounting Estimates Income Notes Note 4 Government Payment for Outputs Note 5 Interest and Distribution Note 6 Resources Received and Provided Free of Charge Note 7 Other Revenue Note 8 Gains on Investments Note 9 Other Gains Expense Notes Note 10 Employee Expenses Note 11 Superannuation Expenses Note 12 Supplies and Services Note 13 Depreciation Note 14 Borrowing Costs Note 15 Other Expenses Note 16 Waivers, Impairment Losses and Write-offs Note 17 Act of Grace Payments Note 18 Auditor's Remuneration Asset Notes Note 19 Cash and Cash Equivalents Note 20 Receivables Note 21 Investments Note 22 Property, Plant and Equipment Liabilities Notes Note 23 Payables Note 24 Finance Leases Note 25 Employee Benefits Equity Notes Note 26 Equity Other Notes Note 27 Financial Instruments Note 28 Commitments
Note 29 Contingent Liabilities and Contingent Assets Note 30 Guarantees Note 31 Cash Flow Reconciliation Note 32 Events Occurring after Balance Date
* Notes 1 - 3 apply to both the Departmental and Territorial Financial Statements
166 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 Legislative Assembly Secretariat Notes to and Forming Part of the Financial Statements For the Year Ended 30 June 2011
NOTE 1 OBJECTIVES OF THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY SECRETARIAT
Operations and Principal Activities of the Legislative Assembly Secretariat
The Australian Capital Territory (Self Government) Act 1988 [Commonwealth] established the Australian Capital Territory as a body politic under the crown. The Act stipulates that there shall be a Legislative Assembly for the ACT consisting of 17 Members and gives the Assembly power to make laws for the peace, order and good government of the Territory. Provisions of the Act also govern the constitution of the Assembly, its procedures and obligations.
The Legislative Assembly Secretariat Appropriation Unit is administered by the Clerk of the Assembly, a statutory office established under the Public Sector Management Act 1994, and the Clerk is assisted by the officers of the Legislative Assembly Secretariat. The Secretariat is responsible for providing a range of business and procedural advice and support services to the Legislative Assembly, including: ● procedural advice and research services to members and their staff through the Chamber Support Office and the Committee Office; ● business and policy advice and support relating to information and communication technology, payroll, human resources, budgeting and financial management, members' entitlements, building and operations management, and corporate governance; ● Hansard recording and transcription services and broadcasting services; ● library and reference services for members and their staff, as well as to ACT Government staff; ● communicating and promoting the roles and functions of the Assembly to the community and ACT Government agencies; and ● building and strengthening relationships with other parliaments.
Payments were made to the Legislative Assembly Secretariat Appropriation Unit for: ● the delivery of Departmental services; and ● expenses paid on behalf of the Territory for salaries and administrative expenses associated with non-Executive Members and staff.
NOTE 2 SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
(a) Basis of Accounting The Financial Management Act 1996 (FMA) requires the preparation of annual financial statements for ACT Government Agencies. The Legislative Assembly Secretariat (the Secretariat) is designated a Department under Section 4 of the FMA.
The FMA and the Financial Management Guidelines, issued under the Act, require a Department’s financial statements to include: (i) an Operating Statement for the year; (ii) a Balance Sheet at the end of the year; (iii) a Statement of Changes in Equity for the year; (iv) a Cash Flow Statement for the year; (v) a Statement of Appropriation for the year; (vi) a summary of the significant accounting policies adopted for the year; and (vii) such other statements as are necessary to fairly reflect the financial operations of the Secretariat during the year and its financial position at the end of the year.
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 167 Legislative Assembly Secretariat Notes to and Forming Part of the Financial Statements For the Year Ended 30 June 2011
NOTE 2 SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES - CONTINUED
(a) Basis of Accounting - continued These general-purpose financial statements have been prepared to comply with ‘Generally Accepted Accounting Principles’ (GAAP) as required by the FMA. The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with: (i) Australian Accounting Standards; and (ii) ACT Accounting and Disclosure Policies. The financial statements have been prepared using the accrual basis of accounting, which recognises the effects of transactions and events when they occur. The financial statements have also been prepared according to the historical cost convention, except for assets which were valued in accordance with the (re)valuation policies applicable to the Secretariat during the reporting period.
These financial statements are presented in Australian dollars, which is the Secretariat's functional currency. The Secretariat is an individual reporting entity.
(b) Departmental and Territorial Items The Secretariat produces Departmental and Territorial financial statements. The Departmental financial statements include income, expenses, assets and liabilities over which the Secretariat has control. The Territorial financial statements include income, expenses, assets and liabilities that the Secretariat administers on behalf of the Territory, but does not control. The purpose of the distinction between Departmental and Territorial is to enable an assessment of the Secretariat's performance against the decisions it has made in relation to the resources it controls, while maintaining accountability for all resources under its responsibility. The basis of accounting described in paragraph (a) above applies to both Departmental and Territorial financial statements except where specified otherwise.
(c) The Reporting Period These financial statements state the financial performance, changes in equity and cash flows of the Secretariat for the year ending 30 June 2011 together with the financial position of the Secretariat as at 30 June 2011.
(d) Comparative Figures Budget Figures The Financial Management Act 1996 requires the financial statements to facilitate a comparison with the budget information for the Secretariat. The budget numbers are as per the 2010-11 Budget Papers. Prior Year Comparatives Comparative information has been disclosed in respect of the previous period for amounts reported in the financial statements, except where an Australian Accounting Standard does not require comparative information to be disclosed. Where the presentation or classification of items in the financial statements is amended, the comparative amounts have been reclassified where practical. Where a reclassification has occurred, the nature, amount and reason for the reclassification is provided.
In 2010-11 investments in the Cash Enhanced Portfolio were reclassified from cash and cash equivalents to investments in the Balance Sheet and the Cash Flow Statement. Distributions from these investments were reclassified from Interest to Interest and Distributions in the Operating Statement. The prior year comparatives were also reclassified for presentational purposes.
168 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 Legislative Assembly Secretariat Notes to and Forming Part of the Financial Statements For the Year Ended 30 June 2011
NOTE 2 SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES - CONTINUED
(e) Rounding All amounts in the financial statements have been rounded to the nearest thousand dollars ($’000). Use of the “-” symbol represents zero amounts or amounts rounded up or down to zero.
(f) Revenue Recognition Revenue is recognised at the fair value of the consideration received or receivable in the Operating Statement. All revenue is recognised to the extent that it is probable that the economic benefits will flow to the Secretariat and the revenue can be reliably measured. In addition, the following specific recognition criteria must also be met before revenue is recognised: Sale of Goods Revenue from the sale of goods is recognised as revenue when the significant risks and rewards of ownership of the goods has transferred to the buyer, the Secretariat retains neither continuing managerial involvement nor effective control over the goods sold and the costs incurred in respect of the transaction can be measured reliably. Rendering of Services Revenue from the rendering of services is recognised when the stage of completion of the transaction at the reporting date can be measured reliably and the costs of rendering those services can be measured reliably. Interest Interest revenue is recognised using the effective interest method.
(g) Resources Received and Provided Free of Charge
Resources received free of charge are recorded as revenue and expenditure in the Operating Statement at fair value. The revenue is separately disclosed under resources received free of charge, with the expense being recorded in the line item to which it relates. Goods and services received free of charge from ACT Government entities are recorded as resources received free of charge. Services that are received free of charge are only recorded in the Operating Statement if they can be reliably measured and would have been purchased if not provided to the Secretariat free of charge.
Resources provided free of charge are recorded at their fair value in the expense line items to which they relate.
(h) Repairs and Maintenance The Secretariat undertakes major cyclical maintenance on the Legislative Assembly building. Where the maintenance leads to an upgrade of the asset, and increases the service potential of the existing building, the cost is capitalised through the Territorial accounts. Maintenance expenses which do not increase the service potential of the asset are expensed through the Departmental accounts.
(i) Current and Non-Current Items Assets and liabilities are classified as current or non-current in the Balance Sheet and in the relevant notes. Assets are classified as current where they are expected to be realised within 12 months after the reporting date. Liabilities are classified as current when they are due to be settled within 12 months after the reporting date or the Secretariat does not have an unconditional right to defer settlement of the liability for at least 12 months after the reporting date. Assets or liabilities which do not fall within the current classification are classified as non-current.
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 169 Legislative Assembly Secretariat Notes to and Forming Part of the Financial Statements For the Year Ended 30 June 2011
NOTE 2 SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES - CONTINUED
(j) Impairment of Assets
The Secretariat assesses, at each reporting date, whether there is any indication that an asset may be impaired. The Secretariat also reviews assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount may not be recoverable. Any resulting impairment losses for land, buildings, plant and equipment and heritage assets, are recognised as a decrease in the available Asset Revaluation Surplus relating to these classes of assets. Where the impairment loss is greater than the available balance in the Asset Revaluation Surplus for the relevant class of asset, the difference is expensed in the Operating Statement. Any impairment losses for motor vehicles under a finance lease are recognised in the Operating Statement as this asset class is held at cost.
An impairment loss is the amount by which the carrying amount of an asset (or a cash-generating unit) exceeds its recoverable amount. The recoverable amount is the higher of the asset's 'fair value less cost to sell' and its 'value in use'. An asset's 'value in use' is its depreciated replacement cost, where the asset would be replaced if the Secretariat were deprived of it. Non-financial assets that have previously been impaired are reviewed for possible reversal of impairment at each reporting date.
(k) Cash and Cash Equivalents For the purposes of the Cash Flow Statement and the Balance Sheet, cash includes cash at bank and cash on hand. Cash equivalents are short-term, highly liquid investments that are readily convertible to known amounts of cash and which are subject to an insignificant risk of change in value. The Secretariat did not have any cash equivalents as at the balance date.
(l) Investments Investments comprise of short-term investments held in the Cash Enhanced Portfolio with the Territory Banking Account. Investments in the Cash Enhanced Portfolio are measured at fair value. Fair value is the value at which the investment could be exchanged between knowledgeable willing parties in an arm's length transaction. Changes in value are recorded in the Operating Statement.
(m) Receivables Accounts receivable are initially recognised at fair value and are subsequently measured at amortised cost, with any adjustments to the carrying amount being recorded in the Operating Statement. Trade receivables arise in the normal course of selling services to other agencies and to the public. Trade receivables are payable within 30 days after the issue of an invoice or the services have been provided under a contractual arrangement. The Secretariat's trade receivables mainly relate to room hire and seminars. Hirers and attendees comprise other ACT Government agencies and community groups. Trade receivables are assessed for impairment, however, due to the immaterial nature of the income received from room hire and seminars and the historically low rate of unpaid debts, the Secretariat determines no allowance for impaired receivables.
(n) Assets Held for Sale Assets held for sale are assets that are available for immediate sale in their present condition, and their sale is highly probable. Assets held for sale are measured at the lower of the carrying amount and fair value less costs to sell. An impairment loss is recognised for any initial or subsequent write down of the asset to fair value less cost to sell. Assets held for sale are not depreciated.
170 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 Legislative Assembly Secretariat Notes to and Forming Part of the Financial Statements For the Year Ended 30 June 2011
NOTE 2 SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES - CONTINUED
(o) Acquisition and Recognition of Property, Plant and Equipment Property, plant and equipment is initially recorded at cost. Cost includes the purchase price, directly attributable costs and the estimated cost of dismantling and removing the item (where, upon acquisition, there is a present obligation to remove the item). Where property, plant and equipment is acquired at no cost, or minimal cost, the Secretariat records it at fair value as at the date of acquisition. Where the payment for property, plant and equipment is deferred beyond normal credit terms, the Secretariat measures the difference between its cash price equivalent and the total payment as interest over the period of credit. The discount rate used to calculate the cash price equivalent is an asset specific rate. The Secretariat capitalises property, plant and equipment with a minimum value of $2,000 (ex GST).
(p) Measurement of Property, Plant and Equipment after Initial Recognition Property, plant and equipment comprises the following classes of assets - land and buildings, heritage assets, plant and equipment and motor vehicles under a finance lease. All property, plant and equipment (excluding motor vehicles) is measured at fair value. Fair value is the amount for which an asset could be exchanged between knowledgeable, willing parties in an arm's length transaction. Fair value is measured using market based evidence available for that asset (or a similar asset), as this is the best evidence of an asset’s fair value. Where the market price for an asset cannot be obtained because the asset is specialised and is rarely sold, and where the asset would be replaced if the Secretariat were to be deprived of the asset, depreciated replacement cost is used as fair value. Where the asset would not be replaced, the fair value is the asset’s selling price, less costs to sell.
Fair value for land and buildings is measured using current prices in a market for similar properties in a similar location and condition. Fair value for some heritage assets is measured using depreciated replacement cost. For other heritage assets, fair value is determined using a market price where there is a market for the same or similar item.
Land, buildings, plant and equipment, and heritage assets are revalued at least every 3 years. However, if at any time the Secretariat considers that the carrying amount of an asset materially differs from its fair value, then the asset will be revalued regardless of when the last valuation took place. Any accumulated depreciation relating to buildings and plant and equipment assets at the date of revaluation is written-back against the gross carrying amount of the asset, and the net amount is restated to the revalued amount of the asset.
(q) Depreciation of Non-Current Assets Non-current assets with a limited useful life are systematically depreciated over their useful lives in a manner that reflects the consumption of their service potential. The useful life commences when an asset is ready for use. When an asset is revalued, it is depreciated over its remaining useful life.
Land and heritage assets have an unlimited useful life and are therefore not depreciated. All depreciation is calculated after first deducting any residual values which remain for each asset. Depreciation for non-current assets is determined as follows:
Class of Asset Depreciation Method Useful Life (Years) Buildings Straight Line 50 Plant and Equipment Straight Line 3-20 Motor Vehicles under a Finance Lease Straight Line 2 The useful lives of all major assets held by the Secretariat are reassessed on an annual basis.
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 171 Legislative Assembly Secretariat Notes to and Forming Part of the Financial Statements For the Year Ended 30 June 2011
NOTE 2 SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES - CONTINUED
(r) Payables Payables are a financial liability and are measured at the fair value of the consideration received when initially recognised and at amortised cost subsequent to initial recognition, with any adjustments to the carrying amount being recorded in the Operating Statement. All amounts are normally settled within 30 days after an invoice date. Payables include Trade Payables, Accrued Expenses and Other Payables. Trade Payables represent the amounts owing for goods and services received prior to the end of the reporting period, unpaid at the end of the reporting period, and relating to the normal operations of the Secretariat. Accrued Expenses represent goods and services provided by other parties during the period that are unpaid at the end of the reporting period and where an invoice has not been received by period end. Other Payables are those unpaid invoices that do not directly relate to the normal operations of the Secretariat.
(s) Leases The Secretariat has entered into finance leases and operating leases. Finance Leases The finance leases effectively transfer to the Secretariat substantially all the risks and rewards incidental to ownership of the assets under a finance lease. The title may or may not eventually be transferred. Finance leases are initially recognised as an asset and a liability at the lower of the fair value of the asset and the present value of the minimum lease payments, each being determined at the inception of the lease. The discount rate used to calculate the present value of the minimum lease payments is the interest rate implicit in the lease. Assets under a finance lease are depreciated over the shorter of the asset's useful life and lease term. The depreciation is calculated after first deducting any residual values which remain for each leased asset. Each lease payment is allocated between interest expense and reduction of the lease liability. Lease liabilities are classified as current and non-current. Operating Leases Shared Services ICT, the Territory's provider of information technology services, has entered into operating leases on behalf of the Secretariat to provide office computers, printers and other hardware. Operating leases do not effectively transfer to the Secretariat substantially all the risks and rewards incidental to ownership of the asset under an operating lease. Operating lease payments are recorded as an expense in the Operating Statement on a straight-line basis over the term of the lease.
(t) Employee Benefits Employee benefits include wages and salaries, annual leave, long service leave and applicable on-costs. On-costs include annual leave, long service leave, superannuation and other costs incurred when employees take annual and long service leave. These benefits accrue as a result of services provided by employees, up to the reporting date, that remain unpaid. They are recorded as a liability and as an expense.
Wages and Salaries Accrued wages and salaries are measured at the amount that remains unpaid to employees at the end of the reporting period.
172 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 Legislative Assembly Secretariat Notes to and Forming Part of the Financial Statements For the Year Ended 30 June 2011
NOTE 2 SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES - CONTINUED
(t) Employee Benefits - Continued Annual and Long Service Leave Annual leave and long service leave that fall due wholly within the next 12 months are measured based on the estimated amount of remuneration payable when the leave is taken. Annual and long service leave including applicable on-costs that do not fall due within the next 12 months are measured at the present value of estimated future payments to be made in respect of services provided by employees up to the end of the reporting period. Consideration is given to the future wage and salary levels, experience of employee departures and periods of service. At each reporting end, the estimated future payments are discounted using market yields on Commonwealth Government bonds with terms to maturity that match, as closely as possible, the estimated future cash flows. In 2010-11, the discount factor used to calculate the present value of these future payments is 92.2% (92.9% in 2009-10). The long service liability is estimated with reference to the minimum period of qualifying service. For employees with less than the required minimum period of 7 years of qualifying service, the probability that employees will reach the required minimum period has been taken into account in estimating the provision for long service leave and applicable on-costs. The provision for annual leave and long service leave includes estimated on-costs. As these on-costs only become payable if the employee takes annual and long service leave while in-service, the probability that employees will take annual and long service leave while in service has been taken into account in estimating the liability for on-costs.
Annual and long service leave liabilities are classified as current liabilities in the Balance Sheet where the Secretariat does not have an unconditional right to defer the settlement of the liability for at least 12 months. However, where there is an unconditional right to defer settlement of the liability for at least 12 months, annual leave and long service leave have been classified as a non-current liability in the Balance Sheet.
(u) Superannuation The Secretariat makes a superannuation payment to the Territory Banking Account each year, to cover its superannuation liability for the Commonwealth Superannuation Scheme (CSS) and the Public Sector Superannuation Scheme (PSS). This payment covers the CSS/PSS employer contribution but does not include the productivity component. The productivity component is paid directly to Comsuper by the Secretariat. The CSS and PSS are defined benefit superannuation plans meaning that the defined benefits received by employees are based on the employee’s years of service and average final salary.
The Secretariat has also made superannuation payments directly to superannuation funds for those members of the public sector who are part of superannuation accumulation schemes. This includes the Public Sector Superannuation Scheme Accumulation Plan (PSSAP) and schemes of employee choice.
Superannuation employer contribution payments for the CSS and PSS are calculated by taking the salary level at an employee’s anniversary date and multiplying it by the actuarially assessed nominal CSS or PSS employer contribution rate for each employee of the Secretariat. The productivity component payments are calculated by taking the salary level, at an employee’s anniversary date, and multiplying it by the employer contribution rate (approximately 3%) for each employee of the Secretariat. Superannuation payments for the PSSAP are calculated by taking the salary level, at an employee’s anniversary date, and multiplying it by the appropriate employer contribution rate for each employee of the Secretariat. Superannuation payments for fund of choice arrangements are calculated by taking an employee's salary each pay and multiplying it by the appropriate employer contribution rate.
The Secretariat does not carry a superannuation liability in its Balance Sheet as the Superannuation Provision Account carries the total Territory superannuation liability for the CSS and PSS, and Comsuper and the external schemes recognise the superannuation liability for the PSSAP and other schemes respectively.
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 173 Legislative Assembly Secretariat Notes to and Forming Part of the Financial Statements For the Year Ended 30 June 2011
NOTE 2 SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES - CONTINUED
(u) Superannuation - Continued The ACT Government is liable for the reimbursement of the emerging costs of benefits paid each year to members of the CSS and PSS in respect of their ACT Government service after 1 July 1989. These reimbursement payments are made from the Superannuation Provision Account.
(v) Equity Contributed by the ACT Government Contributions made by the ACT Government, through its role as owner of the Secretariat, are treated as contributions of equity.
(w) Insurance The Secretariat insures all of its major risks through the ACT Insurance Authority. The excess, payable under this arrangement, varies depending on each class of insurance held by the Secretariat.
(x) Significant Accounting Judgements and Estimates In the process of applying the accounting policies listed in this note, the Secretariat has made the following judgements and estimates that have the most significant impact on the amounts recorded in the financial statements:
(a) Fair Value of Assets: The Secretariat has made a significant judgement regarding the value of its assets. Land and buildings have been recorded at the market value of similar properties as determined by an independent valuer. In some circumstances, buildings that are purpose built may in fact realise more or less in the market. Some heritage assets have been recorded at fair value based on market price as determined by an independent valuation. When market price is unavailable for those assets, the fair value has been estimated by reference to assets that are a similar in use, type and condition (like-kind and quality ).
(b) Employee Benefits: Significant judgements have been applied in estimating the liability for employee benefits. The estimated liability for employee benefits requires a consideration of the future wage and salary levels, experience of employee departures and periods of service. The estimate also includes an assessment of the probability that employees will meet the minimum service period required to qualify for long service leave and that on-costs will become payable. Further information on this estimate is provided in Note 2(t) Employee Benefits and Note 3 Change in Accounting Policy and Accounting Estimates.
(c) Estimation of Useful Lives of Property, Plant and Equipment: The Secretariat has made a significant estimate in determining the useful lives of its property, plant and equipment. The estimation has been based on a number of sources of guidance including the historical experience of similar assets, valuations provided by independent valuers, and on the determinations of effective life of depreciating assets made from time to time by the Commissioner of Taxation. The useful lives are assessed on an annual basis and any adjustments are made when considered necessary.
Further disclosure concerning an asset's useful life can be found at Note 2 (q) - Depreciation of Non-Current Assets .
174 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 Legislative Assembly Secretariat Notes to and Forming Part of the Financial Statements For the Year Ended 30 June 2011
NOTE 2 SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES - CONTINUED
(x) Significant Accounting Judgements and Estimates - Continued
(d) Resources Received Free of Charge: The Secretariat has made a significant judgement in estimating the value of resources received free of charge. The Legislative Assembly Building is part of the Secretariat's terrritorial operations. A section of this building is used by the Secretariat's departmental operations. The office space is provided by the Secretariat territorial operations to its departmental operations free of charge.
The Secretariat has estimated the value of the office space provided free of charge primarily based on an independent valuation of the Legislative Assembly Building prepared by Capital Valuers Pty Limited. The estimation takes into account factors such as the net lettable area, assessed market rental and size of the area occupied by the Secretariat.
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 175 Legislative Assembly Secretariat Notes to and Forming Part of the Financial Statements For the Year Ended 30 June 2011
NOTE 2: SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES - CONTINUED
(y) Impact of Accounting Standards Issued but yet to be Applied The following new and revised accounting standards and interpretations have been issued by the Australian Accounting Standards Board but do not apply to the current reporting period. These standards and interpretations are applicable to future reporting periods. Legislative Assembly does not intend to adopt theses standards and interpretations early. It is estimated that the effect of adopting the below pronouncements, when applicable, will have no material financial impact on Legislative Assembly in future reporting period: ● AASB 1 First-time Adoption of Australian Accounting Standards (application date 1 Jan 2011); ● AASB 5 Non-current Assets Held for Sale and Discontinued Operations (application date 1 Jan 2011); ● AASB 7 Financial Instruments: Disclosures (application date 1 Jul 2011); ● AASB 9 Financial Instruments (application date 1 Jan 2013); ● AASB 101 Presentation of Financial Statements (application date 1 Jan 2011); ● AASB 107 Statement of Cash Flows (application date 1 Jan 2011); ● AASB 108 Accounting Policies, Changes in Accounting Estimates and Errors (application date 1 Jan 2011); ● AASB 110 Events after the Reporting Period (application date 1 Jan 2011); ● AASB 117 Leases (application date 1 Jan 2011); ● AASB 118 Revenue (application date 1 Jan 2011); ● AASB 119 Employee Benefits (application date 1 Jan 2011); ● AASB 132 Financial Instruments: Presentation (application date 1 Jan 2011); ● AASB 136 Impairment of Assets (application date 1 Jan 2011); ● AASB 137 Provisions, Contingent Liabilities and Contingent Assets (application date 1 Jan 2011); ● AASB 1031 Materiality (application date 1 Jan 2011); ● AASB 1053 Application of Tiers of Australian Accounting Standards (application date 1 Jul 2013); ● AASB 2009-11 Amendments to Australian Accounting Standards arising from AASB 9 [AASB 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 101, 102, 108, 112, 118, 121, 127, 128, 131, 132, 136, 139, 1023& 1038 and Interpretations 10 &12] (application date 1 Jan 2013); ● AASB 2010-2 Amendments to Australian Accounting Standards arising from Reduced Disclosure Requirements [AASB 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 101, 102, 107, 108, 110, 111, 112, 116, 117, 119, 121, 123, 124, 127, 128, 131, 188, 134, 136, 137, 138, 140, 141,1050, 1052 and Interpretations 2, 4, 5, 15, 17, 127, 129 & 1052] (application date 1 Jan ● AASB 2010-6 Amendments to Australian Accounting Standards - Disclosures on Transfers of Financial Assets [AASB 1 & AASB 7] (application date 1 Jul 2011); ● AASB2010-7 Amendments to Australian Accounting Standards arising from AASB 9 (December 2010) [AASB 1, 3, 4, 5 7, 101, 102, 108, 112, 118, 120, 121, 127, 128, 131, 132, 136, 137, 139, 1023 & 1038 and Interpretations 2, 5, 10, 12, 19, & 127] (application date 1 Jan 2013); and ● AASB Interpretation 4 Determining whether an Arrangement contains a lease (application date 1 Jan 2011).
176 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 Legislative Assembly Secretariat Notes to and Forming Part of the Financial Statements For the Year Ended 30 June 2011
NOTE 3 CHANGE IN ACCOUNTING POLICY AND ACCOUNTING ESTIMATES
Change in Accounting Estimate Revision of the Employee Benefit Discount Rate As disclosed in Note 2 (t) - Employee Benefits, annual leave and long service leave, including applicable on-costs, which do not fall due in the next 12 months, are measured at the present value of estimated payments to be made in respect of services provided by employees up to the reporting date. The estimated future payments are discounted back to present value using the government bond rate.
Last financial year the discount rate was 92.9%, however, due to a change in the government bond rate the rate is now 92.2%. As such the estimate of the long service leave and annual leave liabilities has changed. This change has resulted in an decrease to the estimate of long service leave liability and expense in the current reporting of approximately $6,134 (Departmental) and $281 (Territorial). The change also resulted in the estimate of the annual leave liability and expense decreasing by $683 (Departmental) and $797 (Territorial).
Change in an Accounting Policy The Legislative Assembly Secretariat had no changes in Accounting Policy during the reporting period.
Correction of Prior Period Errors The Legislative Assembly Secretariat had no correction of prior period errors during the reporting period.
NOTE 4 GOVERNMENT PAYMENT FOR OUTPUTS
Government Payment for Outputs is revenue received from ACT Government to fund the costs of delivering outputs. The ACT Government pays Government Payment for Outputs appropriation on a fortnightly basis.
2011 2010 $'000 $'000 Revenue from the ACT Government 1 Government Payment for Outputs 7,030 6,662 Total Government Payment for Outputs 7,030 6,662
1 The increase in Government Payment for Outputs is mainly due to indexation and revised wage parameters.
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 177 Legislative Assembly Secretariat Notes to and Forming Part of the Financial Statements For the Year Ended 30 June 2011
NOTE 5 INTEREST AND DISTRIBUTION
2011 2010 $’000 $’000 Revenue from Non-ACT Government Entities 1 Interest Received from Bank 42 Total Interest Revenue from Non-ACT Government Entities 4 2
Revenue from ACT Government Entities Distributions from Investments with the Territory 2 Banking Account - Cash Enhanced Portfolio 18 10 Total Distribution from ACT Government Entities 18 10
Total Interest and Distribution Revenue 22 12
1 Interest earned in 2010-11 is higher than 2009-10, reflecting a higher amount of cash held during the reporting period. 2 Distributions received in 2010-11 are higher than 2009-10 mainly due to the increased level of investments held with the Territory Banking Account.
NOTE 6 RESOURCES RECEIVED AND PROVIDED FREE OF CHARGE
Resources received free of charge relate to goods and/or services being provided free of charge from other agencies within the ACT Government. Resources provided free of charge are recorded at their fair value in the expense line items to which they relate. 2011 2010 $’000 $’000 Revenue from ACT Government Entities 1 Legislative Drafting Services 265 269 2 Legal Services 17 97
Resources Received Free of Charge 3 Accommodation Rental 361 370
Total Resources Received Free of Charge 643 736
178 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 Legislative Assembly Secretariat Notes to and Forming Part of the Financial Statements For the Year Ended 30 June 2011
NOTE 6 RESOURCES RECEIVED AND PROVIDED FREE OF CHARGE - CONTINUED
1 A breakdown of the total Legislative Drafting Services by recipient is provided, as follows: 2011 2010 $'000 $'000 Recipient Ms Bresnan 25 52 Mr Coe - - Mr Doszpot - 6 Mrs Dunne 25 17 Mr Hanson 15 11 Ms Hunter 48 14 Ms Le Couteur 48 26 Ms Porter 24 49 Mr Rattenbury 45 17 Mr Seselja 20 26 Mr Smyth 6 41 Secretariat 9 10 Total 265 269
2 The decrease from 2009-10 is mainly due to unusually high costs in the 2010 year associated with a complex employment matter. 3 The Legislative Assembly Building is a Territory owned property and is part of the Secretariat's territorial operations. A section of this building is used by the Secretariat's departmental operations and is provided by the Secretariat's territorial operations free of charge. The Secretariat has estimated the value of the office space provided free of charge based on an independent valuation of the Legislative Assembly Building prepared by Capital Valuers Pty Limited. The estimation takes into account factors such as the net lettable area, assessed market rental and size of the area occupied by the Secretariat.
2011 2010 $’000 $’000 Resources Provided Free of Charge 1 Building Management 494 449
Total Resources Provided Free of Charge 494 449
1 The Legislative Assembly Building is a Territory owned property and is part of the Secretariat's terriorial operations. The building is occupied by the Secretariat's departmental and territorial operations and the ACT Executive. Building maintenance and other building management expenses are paid for by the Secretariat's departmental operations at no charge to the Secretariat's terrritorial operations and the ACT Executive.
The Secretariat estimated the value of the resources provided free of charge on the basis of the floor space occupied by the Secretariat's Departmental operations, Territorial operations and the ACT Executive.
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 179 Legislative Assembly Secretariat Notes to and Forming Part of the Financial Statements For the Year Ended 30 June 2011
NOTE 7 OTHER REVENUE
Other Revenue arises from the core activities of the Secretariat.
2011 2010 $’000 $’000 Revenue from Non-ACT Government Entities 1 Venue Hire 12 19 Seminars 9 10 2 Other Revenue 8 56 Total Other Revenue 29 85
1 The decrease from 2009-10 is due to a lower usage of the function room facilities.
2 The decrease has resulted from extra income received in 2009-10 from hosting a conference of the Australia and New Zealand Association of Clerks-at-the-Table (ANZACATT).
NOTE 8 GAINS ON INVESTMENTS
2011 2010 $’000 $’000 Unrealised Gains on Investments - Cash Enhanced 1 Portfolio 2 - Total Gains on Investments 2 -
1 The increase in Unrealised Gains on Investments is due to a change in the way the Cash Enhanced Portfolio operates. In the previous year, the Territory Bank Account adjusted the cash distribution for unrealised gains and losses on this investment.
NOTE 9 OTHER GAINS
Other gains tend to be one off, unusual transactions that are not part of the Secretariat's core activities. Other gains are distinct from revenue, as other revenue arises from the core activities of the Secretariat.
2011 2010 $’000 $’000 Gain from Sale of Assets 1 82 82
1 The increase in gain from sale of assets is due to the profit on sale of the Secretariat pooled motor vehicle under a finance lease arrangement.
180 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 Legislative Assembly Secretariat Notes to and Forming Part of the Financial Statements For the Year Ended 30 June 2011
NOTE 10 EMPLOYEE EXPENSES 2011 2010 $’000 $’000
Wages and Salaries 1 3,336 3,048 Annual Leave 2 202 251 Long Service Leave 2 88 143 Comcare Premium 3 29 17 Other Employee Benefits and On-Costs 39 50 Total Employee Expenses 3,694 3,509
At the end of the 2010-11 reporting period, the Secretariat had 55 employees [43.1 Full-Time Equivalent] (53 employees [41.7 Full-Time Equivalent] at the end of the 2009-10 reporting period). The increase is mainly due to the financial processing function being re-established within the Secretariat involving the recruitment of two part time staff. 1 The increase in wages and salaries is mainly due to an increase of staff to undertake the financial processing function, following the return of that function from Shared Services. 2 The decrease in Annual and Long Service Leave is mainly due to the higher proportion of Secretariat staff who have relatively short period of service. 3 The Comcare (workers' compensation) premium reflects increased staff numbers in recent years and claims
NOTE 11 SUPERANNUATION EXPENSES
The Secretariat receives funding for superannuation payments as part of the Government Payment for Outputs. The Secretariat then makes payments on a fortnightly basis to the Territory Banking Account for its portion of the Territory's Commonwealth Superannuation Scheme (CSS) and Public Sector Superannuation Scheme (PSS) superannuation liability. The productivity benefit for these schemes is paid directly to Comsuper.
The Secretariat makes superannuation payments direct to Comsuper to cover the superannuation liability for employees that are in the Public Sector Superannuation Scheme Accumulation Plan (PSSAP). Superannuation payments are also made to external providers as part of the new employee fund of choice arrangements. 2011 2010 $’000 $’000
Superannuation Contributions to the Territory Banking Account 383 401 Productivity Benefit 59 61 Superannuation Payment to Comsuper (for the PSSAP) 61 53 1 Superannuation to External Providers 74 48 Total Superannuation Expenses 577 563
1 The increase is mainly due to new employees being members of the external superannuation schemes.
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 181 Legislative Assembly Secretariat Notes to and Forming Part of the Financial Statements For the Year Ended 30 June 2011
NOTE 12 SUPPLIES AND SERVICES
2011 2010 $'000 $’000
Building Management 641 630 Information Technology Running Costs 635 665 Notional Rental 361 370 1 Legal Services and Legislative Drafting 283 366 Recording and Transcription 129 115 2 Staff Training and Services 99 139 3 Consultants 167 261 Accounting and Audit Fees 44 40 4 Outsourced Financial Processing 65 231 Insurance Premium 81 84 Travel 74 70 Printing and Stationery 191 192 Telephone 77 75 5 Hospitality and Functions 26 49 Library Materials 72 89 Advertising 19 19 Other Supplies and Services Expenses 69 65 Total Supplies and Services 3,033 3,460
1 The decrease is due to higher legal service costs in 2009-10 - further detail is provided in Note 6. 2 The decrease is attributable to the fact that several professional development seminars that Secretariat staff participate in each year were hosted in Canberra during 2010-11, reducing participation costs. 3 The decrease is mainly due to higher project expenses for information technology in 2009-10 and the deferral of less specialist advice originally planned within the Secretariat in 2010-11. 4 The decrease is due to the return of the finance function to the Secretariat from Shared Services in the first quarter of the reporting period. 5 The decrease is mainly due to a lower number of functions undertaken for the reporting period.
182 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 Legislative Assembly Secretariat Notes to and Forming Part of the Financial Statements For the Year Ended 30 June 2011
NOTE 13 DEPRECIATION
2011 2010 $’000 $’000 Depreciation 1 Plant and Equipment 65 57 Total Depreciation 65 57
1 The increase is due to the purchase of additional assets including office equipment and the installation of modulators and processors for a digital TV upgrade throughout the Secretariat.
NOTE 14 BORROWING COSTS
2011 2010 $’000 $’000 Finance Charges on Finance Leases 22 Total Borrowing Costs 2 2
NOTE 15 OTHER EXPENSES
2011 2010 $’000 $’000 Impairment Losses (see Note 16) - 37 Total Other Expenses - 37
NOTE 16 WAIVERS, IMPAIRMENT LOSSES AND WRITE-OFFS
Under Section 131 of the Financial Management Act 1996 the Treasurer may, in writing, waive the right to payment of an amount payable to the Territory.
A waiver is the relinquishment of a legal claim to a debt over which the Secretariat has control. The write-off of a debt is the accounting action taken to remove a debt from the books but does not relinquish the legal right of the Secretariat to recover the amount. The write-off of debts may occur for reasons other than waivers. There were no write-offs made during the reporting period. There were no waivers, impairment losses and write-offs during the reporting period (2010: $37,000).
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 183 Legislative Assembly Secretariat Notes to and Forming Part of the Financial Statements For the Year Ended 30 June 2011
NOTE 16 WAIVERS, IMPAIRMENT LOSSES AND WRITE-OFFS - CONTINUED
Impairment Losses
Impairment Loss from Property, Plant and Equipment 2011 2010 $’000 $’000 Plant and Equipment - 37 Total Impairment Loss from Property, Plant and Equipment - 37 Total Impairment Losses - 37
NOTE 17 ACT OF GRACE PAYMENTS
Under Section 130 of the Financial Management Act 1996 the Treasurer, may, in writing, authorise Act of Grace payments be made by the Secretariat. Act of Grace payments are a method of providing equitable remedies to entities or individuals that may have been unfairly disadvantaged by the Government, but have no legal claim to the payment. There were no Act of Grace payments made during the reporting period pursuant to Section 130 of the Financial Management Act 1996 (2010: Nil).
NOTE 18 AUDITOR'S REMUNERATION
Auditor's remuneration consists of financial audit services provided to the Secretariat by the ACT Auditor-General's Office.
2011 2010 $’000 $’000 Audit Services Audit Fees Paid to the ACT Auditor-General's Office 30 27 Total Audit Fees 30 27
NOTE 19 CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS
The Secretariat holds a number of bank accounts with the Commonwealth Bank of Australia as part of the whole-of- government banking arrangements. The weighted average interest rate was 4.52% (average of 5.78% in 2010).
2011 2010 $’000 $’000 Cash at Bank 24 25 Cash on Hand 11 Total Cash and Cash Equivalents 25 26
184 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 Legislative Assembly Secretariat Notes to and Forming Part of the Financial Statements For the Year Ended 30 June 2011
NOTE 20 RECEIVABLES 2011 2010 $’000 $’000 Current Receivables
Trade Receivables 2 6 Net GST Receivable 26 22
Total Current Receivables 28 28
Total Receivables 28 28
Aging of Receivables
Not Overdue Past Due Total Less than 30 to 60 30 Days Days $'000 $'000 $'000 $'000 2011 Not Impaired 1 Receivables 27 1 - 28
2010 Not Impaired Receivables 28 - - 28
1 'Not Impaired' refers to Net Receivables (that is, Gross Receivables less Impaired Receivables).
Classification of ACT Government/Non-ACT Government Receivables 2011 2010 $’000 $’000 Receivables with ACT Government Entities
Net Trade Receivables 16
Total Receivables with ACT Government Entities 16
Receivables with Non-ACT Government Entities
Net Trade Receivables 1 - Net GST Receivable 26 22
Total Receivables with Non-ACT Government Entities 27 22 Total Receivables 28 28
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 185 Legislative Assembly Secretariat Notes to and Forming Part of the Financial Statements For the Year Ended 30 June 2011
NOTE 21 INVESTMENTS
2011 2010 $’000 $’000 Current Investments
Investments with the Territory Banking Account - 1 Cash Enhanced Portfolio 543 232 Total Current Investments 543 232
Total Investments 543 232
1 The increase in Investments with the Territory Banking Account - Cash Enhanced Portfolio is due to a net cash inflow from operating activities that occurred mainly as a result of lower than expected payments for supplies and services.
186 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 Legislative Assembly Secretariat Notes to and Forming Part of the Financial Statements For the Year Ended 30 June 2011
NOTE 22 PROPERTY, PLANT AND EQUIPMENT
Property, plant and equipment includes the following classes of assets – plant and equipment, motor vehicles under a finance lease and heritage assets. Property, plant and equipment does not include assets held for sale or investment property.
Plant and Equipment includes office and computer equipment, and furniture and fittings. Motor Vehicles under a Finance Lease includes all leases entered into by the Secretariat.
Heritage assets are defined as those non-current assets that the ACT Government intends to preserve indefinitely because of their unique historical, cultural or environmental attributes. A common feature of heritage assets is that they cannot be replaced and they are not usually available for sale or for redeployment. Heritage assets held by the Secretariat include artwork and a library collection.
2011 2010 $’000 $’000 Plant and Equipment
1 Plant and Equipment at Fair Value 343 300 Less: Accumulated Depreciation (57) - Total Written Down Value of Plant and Equipment 286 300
Motor Vehicles under a Finance Lease
2 Motor Vehicles under a Finance Lease at Cost 36 28 Less: Accumulated Depreciation (5) (8) Total Written Down Value of Motor Vehicles under a Finance Lease 31 20
Heritage Assets
3 Heritage Assets at Fair Value 665 648 4 Library Collection at Fair Value 259 254 Total Written Down Value of Heritage Assets 924 902
Total Written Down Value of Property, Plant and Equipment 1,241 1,222
1 The Secretariat's plant and equipment was not valued this year. The next valuation will be undertaken in 2011-12. The increase reflects additions at initial cost. 2 The increase reflects the purchase of a new vehicle under a finance lease during this reporting period. 3 The Secretariats' Heritage Assets were not valued this year. The next valuation will be undertaken in 2011-12. The increase reflects additions at initial cost. 4 The Secretariat's Library Collection was not valued this year. The next valuation will be undertaken in 2011-12. The increase reflects additions at initial cost.
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 187 Legislative Assembly Secretariat Notes to and Forming Part of the Financial Statements For the Year Ended 30 June 2011
NOTE 22 PROPERTY, PLANT AND EQUIPMENT - CONTINUED
Reconciliation of Property, Plant and Equipment
The following table shows the movement of Property, Plant and Equipment during 2010-11
Plant and Motor Vehicles Heritage Total Equipment under a Assets Finance Lease $’000 $’000 $’000 $’000 Carrying Amount at the Beginning of 300 20 902 1,222 the Reporting Period Additions 1 43 36 22 101 Depreciation (57) (8) - (65) Disposals 2 - (17) - (17) Carrying Amount at the End of the Reporting 286 31 924 1,241 Period
1 Additions mainly consist of equipment for a digital TV upgrade, a new motor vehicle under a finance lease and artworks. 2 One motor vehicle was disposed of during this reporting period.
Reconciliation of Property, Plant and Equipment
The following table shows the movement of Property, Plant and Equipment during 2009-10
Plant and Motor Vehicles Heritage Total Equipment under a Assets Finance Lease $’000 $’000 $’000 $’000 Carrying Amount at the Beginning of 343 56 594 993 the Reporting Period Additions 1 45 - 20 65 Acquisition through Administrative - - 165 165 Restructuring 2 Revaluation (Decrement)/Increment 3 (38) - 123 85 Depreciation (50) (7) - (57) Disposals 4 - (29) - (29) Carrying Amount at the End of the Reporting 300 20 902 1,222 Period
1 Additions consist mainly of office furniture, computer hardware and artwork. 2 The Assembly and Government Library was transferred to the Secretariat 1 July, 2009. 3 Plant and Equipment was valued lower than the carrying amount. Artwork and the Library Collection was valued higher than the carrying amount. 4 One motor vehicle was disposed during the reporting period due to changes in requirements.
188 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 Legislative Assembly Secretariat Notes to and Forming Part of the Financial Statements For the Year Ended 30 June 2011
NOTE 23 PAYABLES 2011 2010 $’000 $’000 Current Payables 1 Trade Payables 192 155 2 Accrued Expenses 93 133 Other Payables - 1 Total Current Payables 285 289
Total Payables 285 289
Payables are aged as follows: Not Overdue 285 289 Total Payables 285 289
Classification of ACT Government/Non-ACT Government Payables
Payables with ACT Government Entities Trade Payables 17 2 Total Payables with ACT Government Entities 17 2
Payables with Non-ACT Government Entities
Trade Payables 175 153 Accrued Expenses 93 133 Net GST Payable - 1 Total Payables with Non-ACT Government Entities 268 287
Total Payables 285 289
1 The increase is due to the higher value of invoices received in the month of June 2011, compared to 2010. 2 The decrease represents the lower value of those expenses, compared to 2010, that needed to be accrued.
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 189 Legislative Assembly Secretariat Notes to and Forming Part of the Financial Statements For the Year Ended 30 June 2011
NOTE 24 FINANCE LEASES
The Secretariat holds one finance lease, which has been taken up as a finance lease liability and as a leased asset. This lease is for a motor vehicle. The interest rate implicit in this lease is currently 7.56%, with a two-year term. This lease has no terms of renewal or purchase options, nor escalation clauses.
2011 2010 $’000 $’000 Current Finance Leases Secured Finance Leases 1 8 20 Total Current Finance Leases 8 20
Non-Current Finance Leases Secured Finance Leases 1 23 - Total Non-Current Finance Leases 23 -
Total Finance Leases 31 20
Secured Liability The Secretariat's finance leases are effectively secured because, if the Secretariat defaults, the assets under finance leases revert to the lessor.
Finance Leases Finance Lease Commitments are payable as follows: Within one year 8 20 Later than one year but not later than five years 23 - Minimum Lease Payments 31 20
Amount Recognised as a Liability 31 20
Total Present Value of Minimum Lease Payments 31 20
The present value of the minimum lease payments is as follows: Within one year 8 20 Later than one year but not later than five years 23 - Total Present Value of Minimum Lease Payments 31 20
1The decrease in current liabilities and increase in non-current liabilities are due to the commencement of a new finance lease.
190 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 Legislative Assembly Secretariat Notes to and Forming Part of the Financial Statements For the Year Ended 30 June 2011
NOTE 25 EMPLOYEE BENEFITS
2011 2010 Current Employee Benefits $’000 $’000 Annual Leave 311 323 Long Service Leave 1 802 847 Accrued Salaries 151 126 Other Employee Benefits 2 - 33 Total Current Employee Benefits 1,264 1,329
Non-Current Employee Benefits Long Service Leave 1 80 60 Total Non-Current Employee Benefits 80 60
Total Employee Benefits 1,344 1,389
2011 2010 $’000 $’000 For Disclosure Purposes Only Estimate of when Leave is Payable
Estimated Amount Payable within 12 Months Annual Leave 311 323 Long Service Leave 75 59 Accrued Salaries 151 126 Other Employee Benefits - 33 Total Employee Benefits Payable within 12 Months 537 541
Estimated Amount Payable after 12 Months Annual Leave - - Long Service Leave 807 848 Total Non Current Employee Benefits Payable after 12 Months 807 848
Total Employee Benefits 1,344 1,389
1 The decrease in the current Long Service Leave and the increase in non-current Long Service Leave is mainly due to changes in staff over the reporting period that varies the classification of the benefits due to differing lengths of service.
2 The amount reported for 2009-10 related to the sign on bonus that had been offered to Territory staff in connection with enterprise agreements being negotiated at the time.
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 191 Legislative Assembly Secretariat Notes to and Forming Part of the Financial Statements For the Year Ended 30 June 2011
NOTE 26 EQUITY
Asset Revaluation Surplus
The Asset Revaluation Surplus is used to record the increments and decrements in the value of property, plant and equipment held by the Secretariat. 2011 2010 $’000 $’000
Balance at the Beginning of the Reporting Period 393 270 Increment in Heritage Assets due to Revaluation 1 - 123 Total Increase in the Asset Revaluation Surplus - 123
2 Transfer of Other Reserves to Asset Revaluation Surplus 253 - Balance at the End of the Reporting Period 646 393
1 There was no valuation undertaken in the current reporting period.
2 In the current reporting period, other reserves related to historical asset revaluation were transferred to the Asset Revaluation Surplus.
192 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 Legislative Assembly Secretariat Notes to and Forming Part of the Financial Statements For the Year Ended 30 June 2011
NOTE 27 FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS
Details of the significant policies and methods adopted, including the criteria for recognition, the basis of measurement, and the basis on which income and expenses are recognised, with respect to each class of financial asset and financial liability, are disclosed in Note 2 'Summary of Significant Accounting Policies' to the Financial Statements.
Interest Rate Risk Interest rate risk is the risk that the fair value or the future cash flows of a financial instrument will fluctuate because of changes in market interest rates.
A small portion of the Secretariat’s cash is held in floating interest rate arrangements and the Secretariat has no financial liabilities subject to floating interest rates as its financial liabilities (finance leases for motor vehicles) are subject to fixed interest rates. Accordingly, the Secretariat is only exposed to movements in interest receivable but is not exposed to movements in interest payable.
There have been no changes in risk exposure or processes for managing risk since the last financial reporting period.
Sensitivity Analysis
A sensitivity analysis has not been undertaken for the Secretariat because it has been determined that the possible impact on income and expenses or total equity from fluctuations in interest rates is immaterial.
Credit Risk Credit risk is the risk that one party to a financial instrument will fail to discharge an obligation and cause the other party to incur a financial loss.
The Secretariat’s credit risk is limited to the amount of the financial assets it holds net of any allowance for impairment. The Secretariat expects to collect all financial assets that are not past due or impaired.
Credit risk is managed by the Secretariat for investments by only investing surplus funds with the Territory Banking Account, which has appropriate investment criteria for the external fund manager engaged to manage the Territory's surplus funds.
Almost all of the Secretariat’s receivables are received from the Australian Taxation Office or from ACT Government agencies. Accordingly, the credit risk on these receivables is very low and the value of the remaining receivables is assessed as not material.
Despite the relatively small amounts involved, the Secretariat also manages credit risk for receivables by actively pursuing settlement of any outstanding amounts. There have been no changes in risk exposure or processes for managing risk since last year. Credit risk is monitored on a regular basis.
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 193 Legislative Assembly Secretariat Notes to and Forming Part of the Financial Statements For the Year Ended 30 June 2011
NOTE 27 FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS - CONTINUED
Liquidity Risk Liquidity risk is the risk that the Secretariat will encounter difficulties in meeting obligations associated with financial liabilities that are settled by delivering cash or another financial asset.
The Secretariat’s main financial obligations relate to the payment of employee benefits and the purchase of supplies and services. Salaries are paid on a fortnightly basis and purchases of supplies and services are paid within 30 days of receiving the goods or services.
The main source of cash to pay these obligations is appropriation from the ACT Government which is paid on a fortnightly basis during the year. In addition to the receipt of fortnightly appropriation drawdown, the Secretariat also maintains a short-term investment in the Cash Enhanced Portfolio of the Territory Banking Account and can call on these funds to meet any short term obligations. The Secretariat manages its liquidity risk through forecasting appropriation drawdown requirements to enable payment of anticipated obligations.
The Secretariat's current liabilities include all long service leave that could fall due within 12 months. Historically, the Secretariat has been able to manage these liabilities as they emerge.
The Secretariat’s exposure to liquidity risk is considered insignificant based on experience from prior years and the current assessment of risk.
Price Risk
Price risk is the risk that the fair value or future cash flows of a financial instrument will fluctuate because of changes in market prices (other than those arising form interest rate risk or currency risk), whether these changes are caused by factors specific to the individual financial instruments or its issuers, or factors affecting all similar financial instruments traded in the market. The only price risk the Secretariat is exposed to results from its investment in the Cash Enhanced Portfolio. The Secretariat has units in the Cash Enhanced Portfolio that fluctuate in value. The price fluctuation in the units of the portfolio is caused by movements in the underlying investments of the portfolio. The underlying investments are managed by an external fund manager who invests in a variety of different bonds, including bonds issued by the Commonwealth Government, the State Government guaranteed treasury corporations and semi-government authorities, as well as investment-grade corporate issues.
The Secretariat's exposure to price risk and the management of this risk has not changed since last reporting period. A sensitivity analysis has not been undertaken for the price risk of the Secretariat as it has been determined that the possible impact on profit and loss or total equity from fluctuations in price is immaterial.
194 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 Legislative Assembly Secretariat Notes to and Forming Part of the Financial Statements For the Year Ended 30 June 2011
NOTE 27 FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS - CONTINUED
Fair Value of Financial Assets and Liabilities The carrying amounts and fair values of financial assets and liabilities at the end of the reporting period are:
Carrying Carrying Amount Fair Value Amount Fair Value 2011 2011 2010 2010 $’000 $’000 $’000 $’000 Financial Assets
Cash and Cash Equivalents 25 25 26 26 Receivables 28 28 28 28 Investments with the Territory Banking Account 543 545 232 232
Total Financial Assets 596 598 286 286
Financial Liabilities
Payables 285 285 289 289 Finance Leases 31 31 20 20 Total Financial Liabilities 316 316 309 309
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 195
25 28 31 543 596 285 316 280 Total $’000 1 - - 28 543 572 285 285 287 Non- $’000
------$’000 Years Bearing ities as well as the exposure to interest rates, includinge th ------23 23 (23) $'000 7.56% Over 1 Over
8 8 ------(8) Fixed Interest Maturing In: $’000 7.56% 1 Year Year to Over 5 Interest ------24 24 24 Rate or Less 5 Years 4.52% $’000 Legislative Secretariat Assembly Interest For the Year Ended 30 June 2011 30 June Ended Year the For Floating tariat’s maturity analysis for financial assets and liabil ts of Part FinancialNotes to and the Statemen Forming
19 20 23 24 Note NOTE 27 FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS CONTINUED - Financial Assets Financial Equivalents Cash and Cash Investments with the Banking Account Territory 21 2011 Receivables Assets Financial Total Weighted Interest Average Rate Financial Liabilities Financial Payables Total Financial Liabilities Financial Total Finance Leases Weighted Interest Average Rate (Liabilities) Assets/ Financial Net The following tables set outest inter rate or are floating a have which liabilities and assets financial All 2010. 30 June interest period 2011 and weighted 30 June maturity average at as rates by the Legislative Assembly Secre non-interest bearing will or basis. mature less. in All flow amounts 1 year cash undiscounted appearing on an in shown ar e the analysis maturity
196 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 26 28 20 232 286 289 309 (23) Total $’000 period as at as period June 2010. 1 - 28 261 289 289 (28) Non- $’000 Bearing Interest - - - 232 - - - - - $’000 Years Over 5 ts
------$'000 Over 1 Over Year to 5 Years - - - - - 20 20 (20) Fixed Interest Maturing In: $’000 1 Year or Less - - - - - 25 25 25 5.8% 5.7% Rate $’000 Legislative Assembly Secretariat Assembly Legislative For the Year Ended 30 June 2011 Year 30 June the Ended For Floating Interest ly Secretariat's exposure to interest rates, including the weighted average interest rates by maturity by rates interest average weighted the including rates, interest to exposure Secretariat's ly Notes to and Forming Part of the Financial Statemen of Financial Part the Forming and Notes to 19 20 23 24 Note NOTE FINANCIALCONTINUED 27 INSTRUMENTS - Investment with Territory Bank Account Bank with Territory Investment 21 The following table sets out the Legislative Assemb Legislative the out sets table following The 2010 Financial Assets andCash Equivalents Cash Receivables Total Financial Assets Total Financial Weighted Average Interest Rate Interest Average Weighted Liabilities Financial Payables Finance Leases Finance Total Financial LiabilitiesTotal Financial Weighted Average Interest Rate Interest Average Weighted Net Financial Assets/(Liabilities) Financial Net
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 197 Legislative Assembly Secretariat Notes to and Forming Part of the Financial Statements For the Year Ended 30 June 2011
NOTE 27 FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS - CONTINUED
2011 2010 $’000 $’000 Carrying Amount of Each Category of Financial Asset and Financial Liability
Financial Assets Financial Assets at fair value through profit and loss designated through initial recognition 543 232 Receivables 28 28
Financial Liabilities Financial Liabilities measured at Amortised Cost 316 309
The Secretariat does not have any financial assets in the 'Available for Sale' category or the 'Held to Maturity' category and as such these categories are not included above. Also, the Secretariat does not have any liabilities in the 'Financial Liabilities at Fair Value through Profit and Loss' category and as such this category is not included above.
198 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 Legislative Assembly Secretariat Notes to and Forming Part of the Financial Statements For the Year Ended 30 June 2011
NOTE 27 FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS - CONTINUED
Fair Value Hierarchy The Secretariat is required to classify financial assets and financial liabilities into fair value hierarchy that reflects the signifcance of the inputs used in determining their fair value. The fair value hierarchy is made up of the following three levels: • Level 1 - quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical assets or liabilities; • Level 2 - inputs other than quoted prices included within Level 1 that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly (i.e. as prices) or indirectly (i.e. dervied from prices); and • Level 3 - inputs for the asset or liability that are not based on observable market data (unobservable inputs).
The carrying amount of financial assets measured at fair value, as well as the methods used to estimate the fair value are summarised in the table below. All other financial assets and liabilities are measured, subsequent to inital recognition, at amortised cost and as such are not included in the table below.
2011
Classification According to Fair Value Hierarchy Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Total $’000 $’000 $’000 $’000 Financial Assets
Financial Assets at Fair Value through the Profit and Loss Investment with the Territory Banking Account - Cash Enhanced Portfolio - 543 - 543
- 543 - 543
Transfer Between Categories There have been no transfers of financial assets or financial liabilitites between Level 1 and Level 2 during the reporting period.
2010
Classification According to Fair Value Hierarchy Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Total $’000 $’000 $’000 $’000 Financial Assets
Financial Assets at Fair Value through the Profit and Loss Investment with the Territory Banking Account - Cash Enhanced Portfolio - 232 - 232
- 232 - 232
Transfer Between Categories There have been no transfers of financial assets or financial liabilitites between Level 1 and Level 2 during the reporting period.
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 199 Legislative Assembly Secretariat Notes to and Forming Part of the Financial Statements For the Year Ended 30 June 2011
NOTE 28 COMMITMENTS
Other Commitments
Other commitments contracted at the reporting date that have not been recognised as liabilities, are payable as follows: 2011 2010 $’000 $’000
Within one year 535 508 1 Later than one year but not later than five years 562 287 Total Other Commitments 1,097 795
1 The increase is due to a relatively low amount being reported in 2010 due to a number of contracts expiring at that time. Significantly, in the current reporting period, a three year cleaning contract was let.
Operating Lease Commitments
Operating leases are held with InTACT for the supply and maintenance of information and communications technology equipment. Non-cancellable operating lease commitments are payable as follows: 2011 2010 $’000 $’000
2 Within one year 100 79 2 Later than one year but not later than five years 250 118 Total Operating Lease Commitments 350 197
2 The increases are due to the leases for a significant number of desktop PCs and monitors expiring during the current reporting period and being replaced with equipment under new three year leases.
NOTE 29 CONTINGENT LIABILITIES AND CONTINGENT ASSETS
Contingent Liabilities There were no contingent liabilities as at 30 June 2011 (2010: Nil).
Contingent Assets There were no contingent assets as at 30 June 2011 (2010: Nil).
200 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 Legislative Assembly Secretariat Notes to and Forming Part of the Financial Statements For the Year Ended 30 June 2011
NOTE 30 GUARANTEES
Guarantees There were no guarantees or undertakings as at 30 June 2011 (2010: Nil).
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 201 Legislative Assembly Secretariat Notes to and Forming Part of the Financial Statements For the Year Ended 30 June 2011
NOTE 31 CASH FLOW RECONCILIATION
(a) Reconciliation of Cash and Cash Equivalents at the End of the Reporting Period in the Cash Flow Statement to the Equivalent Items in the Balance Sheet. 2011 2010 $’000 $’000
Total Cash and Cash Equivalents Recorded in the Balance Sheet 25 26 Cash and Cash Equivalents at the End of the Reporting Period as 25 26 Recorded in the Cash Flow Statement
(b) Reconciliation of Net Cash Inflows/(Outflows) from Operating Activities to the Operating Surplus/(Deficit) 2011 2010 $’000 $’000
Operating Surplus/(Deficit) 363 (131)
Add Non-Cash Items Impairment losses of Non-Current Assets - 38 Depreciation of Property, Plant and Equipment 65 57
Add/(Less) Items Classified as Investing or Financing (Gain) on Disposal of Non-Current Assets (7) (2) Unrealised Gains on Investments (2) - Realised Gains on Investments (18) Cash Before Changes in Operating Assets and Liabilities 401 (38)
Changes in Operating Assets and Liabilities
(Increase)/Decrease in Receivables (1) 21 (Increase) in Other Assets (70) - Increase in Payables 58 166 (Decrease)/Increase in Employee Benefits (45) 57 Increase in Other Liabilities 10 -
Net Changes in Operating Assets and Liabilities (48) 244
Net Cash Inflows from Operating Activities 353 206
(c) Non-Cash Financing and Investing Activities
Acquisition of Motor Vehicles by means of Finance Leases 35 - 35 -
202 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 Legislative Assembly Secretariat Notes to and Forming Part of the Financial Statements For the Year Ended 30 June 2011 NOTE 32 EVENTS OCCURRING AFTER BALANCE DATE
There were no events occurring after balance date which would affect the financial statements as at 30 June 2011 (2010: Nil).
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 203 Legislative Assembly Secretariat
TERRITORIAL FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 JUNE 2011
204 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 Legislative Assembly Secretariat Statement of Income and Expenses on Behalf of the Territory For the Year Ended 30 June 2011
Original Actual Budget Actual Note 2011 2011 2010 No. $’000 $’000 $’000 Income
Revenue
Payment for Expenses on Behalf of the Territory 34 5,445 5,625 5,430 Resources Received Free of Charge 35 352 - 326
Total Revenue 5,797 5,625 5,756
Gains Other Gains 36 7 - - Total Gains 7
Total Income 5,804 5,625 5,756
Expenses Employee Expenses 37 4,711 5,029 4,844 Superannuation Expenses 38 611 691 605 Supplies and Services 39 421 96 408 Depreciation 40 466 570 448 Borrowing Costs 41 17 - 17 Other Expenses 42 - - 3
Total Expenses 6,226 6,386 6,325
Operating (Deficit) (422) (761) (569)
Other Comprehensive Income (Decrease) in Asset Revaluation Surplus - - (130) Total Other Comprehensive (Deficit) - - (130)
Total Comprehensive (Deficit) (422) (761) (699)
The above Operating Statement should be read in conjunction with the accompanying notes.
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 205 Legislative Assembly Secretariat Statement of Assets and Liabilities on Behalf of the Territory For the Year Ended 30 June 2011
Original Actual Budget Actual Note 2011 2011 2010 No. $’000 $’000 $’000 Current Assets Cash and Cash Equivalents 44 57 44 97 Receivables 45 6 17 25 Assets Held for Sale 46 - - 19 Total Current Assets 63 61 141
Non-Current Assets Property, Plant and Equipment 47 23,102 23,127 23,068 Capital Works in Progress 48 - - 97 Total Non-Current Assets 23,102 23,127 23,165
Total Assets 23,165 23,188 23,306
Current Liabilities Payables 49 29 30 43 Finance Leases 50 153 92 243 Employee Benefits 51 448 519 468 Total Current Liabilities 630 641 754
Non-Current Liabilities Finance Leases 50 165 226 26 Employee Benefits 51 12 90 9 Total Non-Current Liabilities 177 316 35
Total Liabilities 807 957 789
Net Assets 22,358 22,231 22,517
Equity
Accumulated Funds 11,894 11,637 12,053 Asset Revaluation Surplus 52 10,464 10,594 10,464
Total Equity 22,358 22,231 22,517
The above Balance Sheet should be read in conjunction with the accompanying notes.
206 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 Legislative Assembly Secretariat Statement of Changes in Equity on Behalf of the Territory For the Year Ended 30 June 2011
Asset Accumulated Revaluation Total Funds Surplus Equity Original Actual Actual Actual Budget Note 2011 2011 2011 2011 No. $’000 $’000 $’000 $’000
Balance at the Beginning of the Reporting 12,053 10,464 22,517 22,565 Period
Comprehensive Income
Operating (Deficit) (422) - (422) (761)
Total Comprehensive (Deficit) (422) - (422) (761)
Transactions Involving Owners Affecting Accumulated Funds
Capital Injections 263 - 263 427
Total Transactions Involving Owners 263 - 263 427 Affecting Accumulated Funds
Balance at the End of the Reporting Period 11,894 10,464 22,358 22,231
The above Statement of Changes in Equity should be read in conjunction with the accompanying notes.
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 207 Legislative Assembly Secretariat Statement of Changes in Equity on Behalf of the Territory - Continued For the Year Ended 30 June 2011
Accumulated Revaluation Total Funds Surplus Equity Actual Actual Actual Note 2010 2010 2010 No. $’000 $’000 $’000
Balance at the Beginning of the Reporting 12,236 10,594 22,830 Period
Comprehensive Income
Operating (Deficit) (568) - (568)
(Decrease) in Asset Revaluation Surplus 52 - (130) (130)
Total Comprehensive Deficit (568) (130) (698)
Transactions Involving Owners Affecting Accumulated Funds
Capital Injections 385 - 385
Total Transactions Involving Owners 385 - 385 Affecting Accumulated Funds
Balance at the End of the Reporting Period 12,053 10,464 22,517
The above Statement of Changes in Equity should be read in conjunction with the accompanying notes.
208 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 Legislative Assembly Secretariat Cash Flow Statement on Behalf of the Territory For the Year Ended 30 June 2011
Original Actual Budget Actual Note 2011 2011 2010 No. $’000 $’000 $’000 Cash Flows from Operating Activities
Receipts Payment for Expenses on Behalf of the Territory 5,445 5,625 5,430 Goods and Services Input Tax Credits from the 69 19 100 Australian Taxation Office Other 38 - - GST Collected on Delivery of Good or Service 4 - - Total Receipts from Operating Activities 5,556 5,644 5,530
Payments Employee 5,321 5,526 5,194 Supplies and Services 69 96 72 Good and Services Tax Paid to Suppliers 6 20 110 Borrowing Cost 17 - 17 Total Payments from Operating Activities 5,413 5,642 5,393
Net Cash Inflows from Operating Activities 56 143 2 137
Cash Flows from Investing Activities
Payments Purchase of Property, Plant and Equipment 496 427 424 Total Payments from Investing Activities 496 427 424
Net Cash (Outflows) from Investing Activities (496) (427) (424)
Cash Flows from Financing Activities
Receipts Proceeds from Sale of Motor Vehicles under a 141 - - Finance Lease Capital Appropriations 263 427 385 Total Receipts from Financing Activities 404 427 385
Payments Repayment of Finance Lease Liabilities 91 - 48 Total Payments from Financing Activities 91 - 48
Net Cash Inflows from Financing Activities 313 427 337
Net (Decrease) / Increase in Cash and Cash (40) 2 50 Equivalents Held Cash and Cash Equivalents at the Beginning of the 97 42 47 Reporting Period Cash and Cash Equivalents at the End of the 56 57 44 97 Reporting Period
The above Cash Flow Statement should be read in conjunction with the accompanying notes.
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 209 Legislative Assembly Secretariat Territorial Statement of Appropriation For the Year Ended 30 June 2011
Original Total Appropriation Appropriation Budget Appropriated Drawn Drawn 2011 2011 2011 2010 $’000 $’000 $’000 $’000 Territorial
Payment for Expenses on Behalf of the Territory 5,625 5,625 5,445 5,430 Capital Injections 1 427 427 264 385
Total Territorial Appropriation 6,052 6,052 5,709 5,815
The above Territorial Statement of Appropriation should be read in conjunction with the accompanying notes.
Column Heading Explanations
The Original Budget column shows the amounts that appear in the Cash Flow Statement in the Budget Papers. This amount also appears in the Cash Flow Statement of the Secretariat.
The Total Appropriated column is inclusive of all appropriation variations occurring after the Original Budget.
The Appropriation Drawn is the total amount of appropriation received by the Secretariat during the year. This amount appears in the Cash Flow Statement of the Secretariat.
1 The Appropriation Drawn was lower than the Total Appropriated due to the lift upgrade being completed under budget and the decision to defer building facade upgrade works.
210 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 Legislative Assembly Secretariat TERRITORIAL NOTE INDEX
Note 33 Summary of Significant Accounting Policies - Territorial Income Notes Note 34 Payment for Expenses on Behalf of the Territory - Territorial Note 35 Resources Received and Provided Free of Charge Note 36 Other Gains - Territorial Expense Notes Note 37 Employee Expenses - Territorial Note 38 Superannuation Expenses - Territorial Note 39 Supplies and Services - Territorial Note 40 Depreciation - Territorial Note 41 Borrowing Costs - Territorial Note 42 Other Expenses - Territorial Note 43 Waivers, Impairment Losses and Write-Offs - Territorial Asset Notes Note 44 Cash and Cash Equivalents - Territorial Note 45 Receivables - Territorial Note 46 Assets held for Sale - Territorial Note 47 Property, Plant and Equipment - Territorial Note 48 Capital Works in Progress - Territorial Liabilities Notes Note 49 Payables - Territorial Note 50 Finance Leases - Territorial Note 51 Employee Benefits - Territorial Equity Note Note 52 Equity - Territorial Other Notes Note 53 Financial Instruments - Territorial Note 54 Commitments - Territorial Note 55 Contingent Liabilities and Contingent Assets - Territorial Note 56 Cash Flow Reconciliation - Territorial Note 57 Events Occurring after Balance Date - Territorial
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 211 Legislative Assembly Secretariat Notes to and Forming Part of the Financial Statements For the Year Ended 30 June 2011
NOTE 33 SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES – TERRITORIAL
All of the Secretariat’s accounting policies are contained in Note 2 ‘Summary of Significant Accounting Policies’ of the Departmental financial statements. The policies outlined in Notes 1 to 3 apply to both the Departmental and Territorial financial statements.
NOTE 34 PAYMENT FOR EXPENSES ON BEHALF OF THE TERRITORY - TERRITORIAL Under the Financial Management Act 1996 , funds can be appropriated for expenses incurred on behalf of the Territory. The Secretariat receives this appropriation to fund a number of expenses incurred on behalf of the Territory, the main one being the payment of remuneration and related entitlements to non-Executive members and their staff. See Note 37 Employee Expenses -Territorial. 2011 2010 $'000 $'000
Payment for Expenses on Behalf of the Territory 5,445 5,430
Total Payment for Expenses on Behalf of the Territory 5,445 5,430
NOTE 35 RESOURCES RECEIVED AND PROVIDED FREE OF CHARGE - TERRITORIAL
Resources received free of charge relate to goods and services being provided free of charge from other ACT Government entities.
Resources Received Free of Charge Building Management1 352 326
352 326
1 The Legislative Assembly Secretariat Territorial entity received a resource free of charge from the Legislative Assembly Secretariat Departmental entity, a proportion of building related expenses, based on floor space occupied. The apportionments were calculated as 56.25% for the reporting period (56% in 2009-10).
Resources Provided Free of Charge Accommodation Rental 361 370
361 370
212 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 Legislative Assembly Secretariat Notes to and Forming Part of the Financial Statements For the Year Ended 30 June 2011
NOTE 36 OTHER GAINS - TERRITORIAL
Other gains tend to be one off, unusual transactions that are not part of the Secretariat's core activities. Other gains are distinct from revenue, as other revenue arises from the core activities of the Secretariat.
Gain from Sale of Assets1 7 -
Total Other Gains 7 -
1 The gain was due to a profit on the sale of a motor vehicle that had reached its term under a finance lease.
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 213 Legislative Assembly Secretariat Notes to and Forming Part of the Financial Statements For the Year Ended 30 June 2011
NOTE 37 EMPLOYEE EXPENSES – TERRITORIAL 2011 2010 $’000 $’000
Salaries and Wages 4,360 4,415 Annual Leave Expense 170 184 Long Service Leave Expense 1 3 98 Comcare Premium 18 20 Termination Payments 10 9 Other Employee Benefits and On-Costs 150 118
Total Employee Expenses 4,711 4,844
At the end of the 2011 financial year, non-Executive Members employed 49 employees [38.8 Full-Time Equivalent]. In addition, there were 13 non-Executive Members. (44 employees [37.4 Full Time Equivalents] were employed at the end of the 2009-10 reporting period, plus 12 non-Executive Members). The increase to 13 non-Executive Members arose as a result of the election of Dr Chris Bourke MLA on 2 June 2011 following the resignation of Mr Jon Stanhope MLA.
1 The decrease is due to the expense for the 2009-10 reporting period including the value of long service leave entitlements of employees that transferred into the entity from other ACT Government agencies. In this reporting period there were no similar tranfers.
NOTE 38 SUPERANNUATION EXPENSES – TERRITORIAL
The Secretariat receives funding for superannuation payments as part of the payment for Expenses on Behalf of the Territory. The Secretariat then makes payments on a fortnightly basis to the Territory Banking Account for its portion of the Territory’s Commonwealth Superannuation Scheme (CSS) and Public Sector Superannuation Scheme (PSS) superannuation liability as well as a payment for the Territory's superannuation liability for those non-Executive Members who were first elected prior to 2008. The productivity benefit for staff who are members of the CSS or PSS is paid directly to Comsuper.
For all remaining employees (including members first elected in 2008) superannuation payments are made to external providers as part of the employee fund of choice arrangements.
2011 2010 $’000 $’000 Superannuation Contributions to the Territory Banking Account 263 272 Superannuation Contributions paid to External Providers 348 333
Total Superannuation Expenses 611 605
214 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 Legislative Assembly Secretariat Notes to and Forming Part of the Financial Statements For the Year Ended 30 June 2011
NOTE 39 SUPPLIES AND SERVICES – TERRITORIAL 2011 2010 $’000 $’000
Travel 1 69 44 Consultants 2 - 38 Building Management 352 326
Total Supplies and Services 421 408
1 The Remuneration Tribunal has determined that non-Executive Members have an entitlement to financial assistance up to $24,000 over their four-year term for the purposes of travel to undertake studies or investigations of matters relating to their duties and responsibilities as a Member; and to provide for accompanied travel when the member is travelling on Assembly business. Because the entitlement is available over a four-year period, the amount of the expense in any year fluctuates.
2 Under the Legislative Assembly (Members' Staff) Act 1989 , members may engage consultants and contractors. In the current reporting period, there were no such engagements.
NOTE 40 DEPRECIATION - TERRITORIAL 2011 2010 $’000 $’000 Buildings 380 380 Plant and Equipment 1 86 68
Total Depreciation 466 448
1 The increase in depreciation expense is due to the increased cost of Plant and Equipment under Finance Leases. This is because a number of motor vehicles had reached their 2 year term and new finance leases were entered into during this reporting period.
NOTE 41 BORROWING COSTS - TERRITORIAL 2011 2010 $’000 $’000 Finance Charges on Finance Leases 17 17
Total Other Expenses 17 17
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 215 Legislative Assembly Secretariat Notes to and Forming Part of the Financial Statements For the Year Ended 30 June 2011
NOTE 42 OTHER EXPENSES - TERRITORIAL 2011 2010 $’000 $’000 Loss from the Sale of Assets 1 - 3
Total Other Expenses - 3
1Losses from the sale of assets can arise when MLA's vehicles are disposed of at the end of the lease term. In the previous reporting period, a net loss occurred but there were no net losses in the current reporting period.
NOTE 43 WAIVERS, IMPAIRMENT LOSSES AND WRITE-OFFS - TERRITORIAL
Under Section 131 of the Financial Management Act 1996 the Treasurer may, in writing, waive the right to payment of an amount payable to the Territory. In 2010-11, the Treasurer waived debts owing to the Secretariat from overpayments that were made to certain MLA's staff at the end of the Sixth Assembly. A waiver is the relinquishment of a legal claim to a debt over which the Secretariat has control. The write-off of a debt is the accounting action taken to remove a debt from the books but does not relinquish the legal right of the Secretariat to recover the amount. The write-off of debts may occur for reasons other than waivers. There were no impairment losses or write-offs made during the reporting period. (2009-10:Nil) The waivers below have occurred during the reporting period. 2011 2010 No. $’000 $’000 Waivers 9 21 -
Total Waivers 21 -
216 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 Legislative Assembly Secretariat Notes to and Forming Part of the Financial Statements For the Year Ended 30 June 2011
NOTE 44 CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS - TERRITORIAL The Secretariat - Territorial holds only one bank account with the Commonwealth Bank as part of the whole-of- government banking arrangements. As part of these arrangements, the Secretariat - Territorial does not receive any interest on this account. No demand deposits are held.
2011 2010 $’000 $’000
Cash at Bank 1 57 97
Total Cash and Cash Equivalents 57 97
1 The decrease in Cash at Bank was due to a combination of factors including that, at 30 June 2010, there was a higher value of invoices, predominantly to pay capital expenses.
NOTE 45 RECEIVABLES – TERRITORIAL 2011 2010 $’000 $’000 Current Receivables Net Goods and Services Tax Receivable 1 6 25 Total Current Receivables 6 25 Total Receivables 6 25
1 The decrease is due to the 2010 amount being higher than normal.
Aging of Receivables Not Overdue Past Due Total Less than 30 to 60 30 Days Days $'000 $'000 $'000 $'000 2011 Not Impaired 1 Receivables 6 - - 6
2010 Not Impaired Receivables - 25 - 25
2011 2010 $’000 $’000 Classification of ACT Government/Non-ACT Government Receivables Receivables with Non-ACT Government Entities Net GST Receivable 6 25 Total Receivables with Non-ACT Government Entities 6 25 Total Receivables 6 25
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 217 Legislative Assembly Secretariat Notes to and Forming Part of the Financial Statements For the Year Ended 30 June 2011
NOTE 46 ASSETS HELD FOR SALE - TERRITORIAL
2011 2010 $’000 $’000
Motor Vehicles under a Finance Lease Held for Sale - 19 Total Assets Held for Sale - 19
NOTE 47 PROPERTY, PLANT AND EQUIPMENT - TERRITORIAL
Property, plant and equipment includes the following classes of assets – land and buildings, and motor vehicles under a finance lease. Property, plant and equipment does not include assets held for sale or investment property.
2011 2010 $’000 $’000 Land and Buildings
Land at Fair Value 3,800 3,800 Total Land Assets 3,800 3,800
Buildings at Fair Value 19,361 19,000 Less: Accumulated Depreciation (380) - Total Written Down Value of Buildings 18,981 19,000
Total Land, Plant and Equipment and Written Down Value of 22,781 22,800 Buildings
Carrying Amount of Assets under Finance Lease
Plant and Equipment (Motor Vehicles) under a Finance Lease 375 347 Accumulated Depreciation of Plant and Equipment under a Finance Lease (54) (79) Total Written Down Value of Plant and Equipment under a Finance Lease 321 268
Total Written Down Value of Property, Plant and Equipment 1 23,102 23,068
1All property, plant and equipment was assessed and there were no apparent impairment indicators for the period.
218 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 Legislative Assembly Secretariat Notes to and Forming Part of the Financial Statements For the Year Ended 30 June 2011
NOTE 47 PROPERTY, PLANT AND EQUIPMENT - TERRITORIAL - CONTINUED
Reconciliation of Property, Plant and Equipment The following table shows the movement of Property, Plant and Equipment during 2010-11.
Plant and Land Buildings Equipment Total under a Finance Lease $’000 $’000 $’000 $’000 Carrying Amount at the Beginning of the 3,800 19,000 268 23,068 Reporting Period Additions - 361 298 631 Depreciation - (380) (86) (434) Disposals - - (159) (163)
3,800 18,981 321 23,102
Reconciliation of Property, Plant and Equipment The following table shows the movement of Property, Plant and Equipment during 2009-10.
Land Buildings Motor Vehicles Total under a Finance Lease $’000 $’000 $’000 $’000 Carrying Amount at the Beginning of the 3,800 19,000 316 23,116 Reporting Period Additions - 510 104 614 Assets held for Sale - - (19) (19) Revaluation (Decrement) - (130) - (130) Depreciation - (380) (68) (448) Disposals - - (66) (66)
Carrying Amount at the End of the Reporting 3,800 19,000 268 23,068 Period
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 219 Legislative Assembly Secretariat Notes to and Forming Part of the Financial Statements For the Year Ended 30 June 2011
NOTE 48 CAPITAL WORKS IN PROGRESS – TERRITORIAL
Capital Works in Progress are assets being constructed over periods of time in excess of the present reporting period. Capital Works in Progress are not depreciated as the Secretariat is not currently deriving any economic benefits from them.
2011 2010 $’000 $’000
Building Works in Progress 1 - 97 Total Capital Works in Progress - 97
Reconciliation of Capital Works in Progress
The following shows the movement of assets under construction from the beginning to end of 2010-11.
Carrying Amount at the Beginning of the Reporting Period 97 222 Additions 264 385 Capital Works in Progress Completed and Transferred to (361) (510) Property, Plant and Equipment Carrying Amount at the End of the Reporting Period - 97
1 All capital and capital upgrade works were completed and transferred to Property, Plant and Equipment during the reporting period.
220 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 Legislative Assembly Secretariat Notes to and Forming Part of the Financial Statements For the Year Ended 30 June 2011
NOTE 49 PAYABLES - TERRITORIAL
2011 2010 $’000 $’000 Current Payables Trade Payables 1 - 30 Other Payables2 29 13 Total Current Payables 29 43
Total Payables 29 43
Payables are aged as follows: Not Overdue 29 43 Total Payables 29 43
Classification of ACT Government/Non-ACT Government Payables
Payables with ACT Government Entities Trade Payables - 30 Total Payables with ACT Government Entities - 30
Payables with Non-ACT Government Entities
Other Payables 29 13 Total Payables with Non-ACT Government Entities 29 13
Total Payables 29 43
1 There were no Trade Payables due at the end of the reporting period.
2 The expense represents the amounts payable to the Australian Taxation Office for Goods and Services Tax, and for Fringe Benefits Tax (FBT). The lower amount payable in 2010 is mainly due to the quarterly tax instalment in that year not reflecting all FBT liabilities.
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 221 Legislative Assembly Secretariat Notes to and Forming Part of the Financial Statements For the Year Ended 30 June 2011
NOTE 50 FINANCE LEASES - TERRITORIAL
At 30 June 2011, the Secretariat held 10 finance leases on behalf of the Territory, all of which have been taken up as a finance lease liability and leased asset. These leases are for non-Executive Member's motor vehicles. The interest rates implicit in these leases vary from 6.90% to 7.56% with a 0.5 to 2 year remaining term.
2011 2010 $’000 $’000 Current Finance Leases
Secured Finance Leases 1 153 243 Total Current Secured Finance Leases 153 243
Non-Current Finance Leases
Secured Finance Leases 1 165 26 Total Non-Current Secured Finance Leases 165 26
Total Finance Leases 318 269
Secured Liability The Secretariat's finance leases are effectively secured because, if the Secretariat defaults, the assets under the finance leases revert to the lessor.
Finance Lease Commitments are payable as follows: Within one year 170 254 Later than one year but not later than five years 172 31 Minimum Lease Payments 342 285
Less: Future Finance Lease Charges (24) (16) Amount Recognised as a Liability 318 269 Total Present Value of Minimum Lease Payments 318 269
The present value of the minimum lease payments are as follows: Within one year 153 243 Later than one year but not later than five years 165 26 Total Present Value of Minimum Lease Payments 318 269
1 The decrease in current finance leases and the increase in non-current finances leases is due to the change in lease terms.
222 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 Legislative Assembly Secretariat Notes to and Forming Part of the Financial Statements For the Year Ended 30 June 2011
NOTE 51 EMPLOYEE BENEFITS - TERRITORIAL 2011 2010 $’000 $’000 Current Employee Benefits Annual Leave 269 258 Long Service Leave 1 53 94 Accrued Salaries 126 94 Other Employee Benefits - 22 Total Current Employee Benefits 448 468
Non-Current Employee Benefits Long Service Leave 12 9 Total Non-Current Employee Benefits 12 9
Total Employee Benefits 460 477
For Disclosure Purposes Only
Estimate of when Leave is Payable
Estimated Amount Payable within 12 Months
Annual Leave 269 258 Long Service Leave 1 27 13 Accrued Salaries 126 94 Other Employee Benefits - 22 Total Employee Benefits Payable within 12 Months 422 387
Estimated Amount Payable after 12 Months
Long Service Leave 38 90 Total Employee Benefits Payable after 12 Months 38 90
Total Employee Benefits 460 477
1 The majority of staff employed by non-Executive MLAs elect to receive an allowance in lieu of the accrual of long service leave. The decrease in long service leave liabilities in 2011 is due to the departure, during the reporting period, of a number of staff with long service leave entitlements, with those entitlements being paid out.
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 223 Legislative Assembly Secretariat Notes to and Forming Part of the Financial Statements For the Year Ended 30 June 2011
NOTE 52 EQUITY - TERRITORIAL
Asset Revaluation Surplus
The Asset Revaluation Surplus is used to record the increments and decrements in the value of property, plant and equipment held by the Secretariat.
2011 2010 $’000 $’000
Balance at the Beginning of the Reporting Period 10,464 10,594
(Decrement) in Buildings due to Revaluation - (130) Total (Decrease) in the Asset Revaluation Surplus - (130)
Balance at the End of the Reporting Period 10,464 10,464
224 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 Legislative Assembly Secretariat Notes to and Forming Part of the Financial Statements For the Year Ended 30 June 2011
NOTE 53 FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS - TERRITORIAL
Details of the significant policies and methods adopted, including the criteria for recognition, the basis of measurement, and the basis on which income and expenses are recognised, with respect to each class of financial asset and financial liability, are disclosed in Note 2 'Summary of Significant Accounting Policies' to the financial statements.
Interest Rate Risk Interest rate risk is the risk that the fair value or the future cash flows of a financial instrument will fluctuate because of changes in market interest rates. The Secretariat does not hold cash and receivables from its Territorial operations in interest-bearing arrangements. Finance leases are in fixed interest arrangements.
Sensitivity Analysis A sensitivity analysis has not been undertaken for the interest rate risk of the Secretariat, as it has been determined that the possible impact on profit and loss or total equity from fluctuations in interest rate is immaterial.
Credit Risk Credit risk is the risk that one party to a financial instrument will fail to discharge an obligation and cause the other party to incur a financial loss.
The Secretariat’s credit risk is limited to the amount of the financial assets it holds which comprises cash at bank and receivables. The Secretariat's Territorial cash at bank is held by the Commonwealth Bank of Australia which is a high credit quality financial institution. The Secretariat's Territorial receivables consist almost entirely of a GST Receivable from the Australian Taxation Office, which means there is little risk of credit default. The Secretariat expects to collect all financial assets that are not past due.
Liquidity Risk Liquidity risk is the risk that the Secretariat will encounter difficulties in meeting obligations associated with financial liabilities that are settled by delivering cash or another financial asset. The Secretariat’s main financial obligations relate to the payment of employee benefits and the purchase of supplies and services. Salaries are paid on a fortnightly basis and purchases of supplies and services are paid within 30 days of receiving the goods or services. The main source of cash to pay these obligations is appropriation from Government which is paid on a fortnightly basis during the year. The Secretariat manages its liquidity risk through forecasting appropriation drawdown requirements to enable payment of anticipated obligations. Historically, the Secretariat has been able to manage its liabilities as they emerge. The Secretariat’s exposure to liquidity risk is considered insignificant based on experience from prior years and the current assessment of risk.
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 225 Legislative Assembly Secretariat Notes to and Forming Part of the Financial Statements For the Year Ended 30 June 2011
NOTE 53 FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS - TERRITORIAL - CONTINUED
Price Risk
Price risk is the risk that the fair value or future cash flows of a financial instrument will fluctuate because of changes in market prices (other than those arising from interest rate risk or currency risk), whether these changes are caused by factors specific to the individual financial instrument or its issuer, or factors affecting all similar financial instruments traded in the market. The Secretariat is not exposed to price risk as its financial assets, consisting of cash and cash equivalents and receivables, are not affected by movements in market price.
Fair Value of Financial Assets and Liabilities The carrying amounts and fair values of financial assets and liabilities at balance date are:
Carrying Carrying Amount Fair Value Amount Fair Value 2011 2011 2010 2010 $’000 $’000 $’000 $’000 Financial Assets
Cash and Cash Equivalents 57 57 97 97 Receivables 6 6 25 25 Total Financial Assets 63 63 122 122
Financial Liabilities
Payables 29 29 43 43 Finance Leases 318 318 269 269 Total Financial Liabilities 347 347 312 312
226 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 6 63 29 57 342 371 (308) Total $’000 6 - 63 29 57 29 34 Non- $’000 ------$’000 Years Bearing Over 5Over Interest
- - - 172 172 - (172) $'000 7.38% Over 1 Over Year to 5 Years
- - - - Fixed Interest Maturing Fixed Interest In: 170 170 - (170) $’000 7.38% 1 Year or Less
------
Rate $’000 Legislative Assembly Secretariat For the Year Ended 30 June 2011 30 June Ended Year the For Interest
Notes to and Forming Part of the Financial Statements Financial the of Part Forming and to Notes Floating 49 50 44 45 Note NOTE 53 FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS - TERRITORIAL - CONTINUED - TERRITORIAL - INSTRUMENTS 53 FINANCIAL NOTE Financial Assets Financial Liabilities Payables Finance Leases Finance Total Financial Liabilities The following tables set out the Legislative Assembly Secretariat’s maturity analysis for financial analysis assets and liabilities as as well thematurity exposureSecretariat’s to following interest includingrates, The Assembly tablesthe setweighted out the Legislative will bearing non-interest are or rate interest floating a have which liabilities and assets financial All 2010. June 30 and 2011 June 30 at as period maturity by rates interest average basis. flow cash undiscounted an on shown are analysis maturity the in appearing amounts All less. or year 1 in mature 2011 Equivalents Cash and Cash Receivables Total Financial Assets Weighted Interest Rate Average Net Financial (Liabilities)/Assets Net
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 227 97 25 43 328 122 285 (206) Total $’000 - 43 79 97 25 43 122 Non- $’000 ------$’000 Years Bearing Over 5 Over Interest - - - - 31 31 (31) $'000 5.97% Over 1 Over Year to 5 Years - - - - Fixed Interest Maturing Fixed Interest In: 254 254 (254) $’000 5.97% 1 Year or Less ------Rate $’000 Legislative Assembly Secretariat For the Year Ended 30 June 2011 30 June Ended Year the For
Notes to and Forming Part of the Financial Statements Financial the of Part Forming and to Notes Interest Floating 44 45 49 50 Note NOTE 53 FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS - TERRITORIAL - CONTINUED - TERRITORIAL - INSTRUMENTS 53 FINANCIAL NOTE Weighted Interest Rate Average Financial Assets Equivalents Cash and Cash 2010 Receivables Total Financial Assets Financial Liabilities Payables Net Financial (Liabilities)/Assets Net Finance Leases Finance Total Financial Liabilities
228 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 Legislative Assembly Secretariat Notes to and Forming Part of the Financial Statements For the Year Ended 30 June 2011
NOTE 53 FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS - TERRITORIAL - CONTINUED
2011 2010 $’000 $’000 Carrying Amount of Each Category of Financial Asset and Financial Liability
Financial Assets Loans and Receivables 6 25
Financial Liabilities Financial Liabilities Measured at Amortised Cost 347 312
The Secretariat does not have any financial assets in the 'Financial Assets at Fair Value through Profit and Loss' category or 'Held to Maturity' category and as such these categories are not included above. Also, the Secretariat does not have any financial liabilities in the 'Financial Liabilities at Fair Value through Profit and Loss' category and as such this category is not included above.
Fair Value Hierarchy
All financial liabilities and assets are measured, subsequent to initial recognition, at amortised cost. As such, no fair value hierarchy disclosures have been made.
NOTE 54 COMMITMENTS - TERRITORIAL
Capital Commitments Capital commitments contracted at reporting date that have not been recognised as liabilities are as follows:
2011 2010 $’000 $’000 Capital Commitments - Property, Plant and Equipment
Payable: Within one year 1 - 111
Total Capital Commitments - Property, Plant and Equipment - 111
Total Capital Commitments - 111
1 There were no capital commitments at the reporting date.
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 229 Legislative Assembly Secretariat Notes to and Forming Part of the Financial Statements For the Year Ended 30 June 2011
NOTE 55 CONTINGENT LIABILITIES AND CONTINGENT ASSETS - TERRITORIAL
Contingent Liabilities There were no contingent liabilities as at 30 June 2011 (2010: Nil).
Contingent Assets There were no contingent assets as at 30 June 2011 (2010: Nil).
230 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 Legislative Assembly Secretariat Notes to and Forming Part of the Financial Statements For the Year Ended 30 June 2011
NOTE 56 CASH FLOW RECONCILIATION - TERRITORIAL
(a) Reconciliation of Cash and Cash Equivalents at the end of the reporting period in the Cash Flow Statement on behalf of the Territory to the equivalent items in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities on Behalf of the Territory. 2011 2010 $’000 $’000
Total Cash Disclosed on the Statement of Assets and Liabilities on Behalf of the Territory 57 97
Cash at the End of the Reporting Period as Recorded in the Cash Flow Statement 57 97
(b) Reconciliation of Net Cash Inflows from Operating Activities to the Operating (Deficit)
Operating (Deficit) (422) (568) Add/(Less) Non-Cash Items Depreciation of Property, Plant and Equipment 466 448 (Gain)/Loss on Disposal of Non-Current Assets (7) 3 Cash Before Changes in Operating Assets and Liabilities 37 (117)
Changes in Operating Assets and Liabilities
Decrease/(Increase) in Receivables 19 (10) Decrease/(Increase) in Assets 90 (3) Increase in Payables 14 14 (Decrease)/Increase in Employee Benefits (17) 253 Net Changes in Operating Assets and Liabilities 106 254
Net Cash Inflows from Operating Activities 143 137
(c) Non-Cash Financing and Investing Activities
Acquisition of Motor Vehicles by means of Finance Leases 270 104 Net Cash Inflows from Financing and Investing Activities 270 104
ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011 231 Legislative Assembly Secretariat Notes to and Forming Part of the Financial Statements For the Year Ended 30 June 2011
NOTE 57 EVENTS OCCURRING AFTER BALANCE DATE - TERRITORIAL
There were no events occurring after balance date which would affect the financial statements as at 30 June 2011 (2010: Nil).
232 ACT Legislative Assembly Secretariat Annual Report 2010 – 2011
2010–2011