Municipal Employment Contracts and Appointments Consultative
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MUNICIPAL EMPLOYMENT CONTRACTS AND APPOINTMENTS Thursday. 19 May 1994 COUNCIL 667 Thursday, 19 May 1994 The Office of Local Government investigated the appointment of senior officers and subsequent contracts in the City of Waverley, the Borough of Eaglehawk and the Rural City of Marong. Additionally, investigation took place into The PRESIDENT (Hon. B. A. Chamberlain) took appointments of chief executive officers in the cities the chair at 10.02 a.m. and read the prayer. of Ballarat, Benalla, Box Hill and Horsham, and the shires of Benalla, Gordon, Mirboo, Numurkah and MUNICIPAL EMPLOYMENT Charlton. The results of those investigations and CONTRACTS AND APPOINTMENTS certain recommendations to the government are contained in the body of the report. Hon. R. M. HALLAM (Minister for Local Government) presented report of investigation I commend the report to the house. into senior staff employment contracts and appointments in Victorian municipalities, Laid on table. May 1994. Ordered to be printed. Hon. R. M. HALLAM (Minister for Local Government) (By leave) - I should like to make a Ordered to be considered next day on motion of brief statement. On 28 December 1993 I gave a Hon. PAT POWER Oika Jika). direction to the Office of Local Government to investigate reports of alleged irregular practices in CONSULTATIVE COUNCIL ON the placement of municipal staff on contract OBSTETRIC AND PAEDIATRIC arrangements. The decision to undertake the MORTALITY AND MORBIDITY investigation was not taken lightly, but resulted from serious allegations made by a number of Hon. R. I. KNOWLES (Minister for Housing) individual councillors, ratepayers and, in one case, a presented report of Consultative Council on trade union. Obstetric and Paediatric Mortality and Morbidity for year 1992. The alleged irregular practices appear to have had their genesis in the forthcoming review of municipal Laid on table. boundaries by the Local Government Board and the Local Government (Miscellaneous Amendments) LAW REFORM COMMIITEE Bill. On Thursday 28 October 1993 the Local Government (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill was Law of wills introduced into this house. The legislation contained a package of measures which removed the Hon. J. V. C. GUEST (Monash) presented report of requirement for a certificate of qualifications for Law Refonn Committee on reforming law of wills, senior officers, removed the concept of designated together With appendices, submissions and officers and introduced the requirement for senior minutes of evidence. council officers to be placed on limited tenure, performance-based contracts. All new contracts for Hon. J. V. C. GUEST (Monash) (By leave) - I senior officers were to be for not more than five should like to make a brief statement. This is a years and were to specify performance criteria. substantial and unanimous report of the whole of Except in certain circumstances existing written the Law Refonn Committee. It provides for the most employment contracts would not be affected. comprehensive set of proposals ever published on reforming the law of wills, which is a subject of The Local Government (Miscellaneous Amendment) importance to everyone in Victoria and Australia. Bill was subsequently passed by the Parliament and received royal assent on 7 December 1993. The Substantial - not radical - changes to the law are provisions relating to senior officer contracts also proposed and there is some precedent in the came into effect on that date. Immediately prior to common-law world. The report has built on the the new requirements taking effect a number of tradition that the last wishes of the testator be councils entered into contracts with their senior respected. The committee attempted to preserve and officers and chief executive officers. further that tradition at the same time as continuing the gradual move over the past 150 years for wills to ARTS INSTITUTIONS (AMENDMENT) BILL 668 COUNCIL Thursday, 19 May 1994 be treated more like trust actions between living amendments to the Public Records Act will update persons. and clarify provisions and remove anomalies. Thirdly, amendments to the acts will generally The report is probably one of the most detailed, update and standardise common issues. proofread and edited parliamentary reports because no more technical subject has ever been presented to I will deal firstly with the State Film Centre of a parliamentary committee. The report could not Victoria CounciL Since its inception the State Film have been attempted without building on the work Centre has been an important part of Victoria's film of many people. It was started in 1982 when the industry through its roles as collector and manager former government appointed a committee to of the state's film and video heritage, as an educator examine wills and had the benefit of a and as a film arts exhibitor. comprehensive report and reforms made in Queensland. As a result of the 1986 working party's The history of the film centre has been one of report, successive drafts of a new Wills Act were continued development and assistance to the state's produced. The reference given to the committee to film culture during a period when the film industry examine and report on in 1991 was the eighth draft, has matured and cinema diversity and culture have which is imperfect and departed from the wills grown. The State Film Centre is today the leading working party report. This report is a substantial government film library and educational service in document. Australia. I wish to thank those who assisted the committee in The proposed amendments to the State Film Centre its report: Sturt Glacken, who provided the of Victoria Council Act will enable this development foundation for the report; for the past five months, role to continue within a framework that allows the Jamie Gardiner; Jessica I<1ingender, research officer; centre to act, in accordance with its objectives, as an the wills advisory group, many of whom were in the industry partner as well as an arts institution, thus original working party; and Tony Lee, the further extending its role in cooperation with others Queensland Law Reform Commissioner, who in one of the most important industries of the 21st ensured that what the committee has done will century, the information industry, in particular contribute to a national uniform set of laws of which dealing with information conveyed through the he is in charge. moving image. Laid on table. It will be of interest to honourable members that, with the increasing diversity of media technologies Ordered that report and appendices be printed. becoming available, the general word 'film' is itself being redefined. The growing use of the term ARTS INSTITUTIONS (AMENDMENT) 'moving image' recognises that the storage and BILL viewing of moving pictures has moved away from just one medium. The technology is no longer Second reading dominated by the can of film or the film reel. The majority of the film centre's business today is Hon. HAD DON STOREY (Minister for the electronic and digital. Arts) -I move: While the name of the film centre may imply a past That this bill be now read a second time. technology, its activities demonstrate not only its important arts and cultural role but a leading role in The purpose of the bill is to amend the various acts the state's new multi-media industry. The centre is within the arts portfolio to facilitate greater committed to increasing appreciation of the moving operational efficiencies, improve management image and promoting public interest in the culture practices and update statutory membership terms of the moving image. It currently does this through and related provisions. In particular, specific the collection, dissemination and educational use of amendments to the State Film Centre of Victoria film and video. Council Act will enable the State Film Centre of Victoria to work more effectively within the film and The State Film Centre of Victoria has an enviable communications industries and improve its service reputation among government film libraries for the to the community through partnerships with reach and innovation of its programs. It has always industry and the private sector. Secondly, been a leader and has the government's support in ARTS INSTITUTIONS (AMENDMENT) BILL Thursday. 19May 1994 COUNCIL 669 its efforts to integrate more closely with the the cabinet office and Registrar of Probates in terms information industry, while maintaining its clearly of the confidentiality of records transferred to the defined community service and cultural role. custody of the Public Record Office. It will also bring the Victorian provisions into line with those The proposed amendments to the act will enable the applying elsewhere in Australia. Access to centre to develop suitable structures so as to documents under freedom of information legislation respond to opportunities in an industry that is will, of course, still apply. changing at an ever increasing rate. A final amendment to the act will protect Public Amendments are required to the Public Records Act Record Office staff from civil actions of defamation 1973 to update and clarify provisions and to remove or breach of confidence that might arise from the anomalies. The various amendments have been release of information. This provision was considered and approved by the Public Records recommended by the parliamentary Legal and Advisory Council. The council, chaired by Mr Peter Constitutional Committee in 1989. Kirby, has as members representatives of the various users of the Public Record Office including The impact of the proposed amendments to the government departments, historians and Public Records Act should be a more efficient Public genealogiSts. Record Office and a more workable records management regime for the whole of the Victorian The amendments include measures to: government. adjust the membership of the Public Records Thirdly, the bill proposes a number of other Advisory Council to include a member with amendments that will provide for improved experience in business administration and finance; management practices and update and standardise common issues in the arts acts.