19, 20, 200821 19, AUGUST Debates WEEKLY HANSARD SEVENTH ASSEMBLY Legislative Assembly for the ACT WEEKLY WEEKLY 15 NOVEMBER 2011 www.hansard.act.gov.au HANS ARD PAGES 3565 - 4039 PAGES 2008 10 Tuesday, 15 November 2011 Public Accounts—Standing Committee .................................................................. 5249 Children and young people—care and protection ................................................... 5250 Evidence Amendment Bill 2011 .............................................................................. 5251 Evidence (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2011 .................................................. 5256 Justice and Community Safety Legislation Amendment Bill 2011 (No 3) ............. 5258 Justice and Community Safety—Standing Committee ............................................ 5262 Rostered ministers question time (Statement by Speaker) ...................................... 5263 Questions without notice: Environment—plastic bag ban ..................................................................... 5263 Youth justice—strip searches ....................................................................... 5265 RSPCA—funding ......................................................................................... 5267 Open government ......................................................................................... 5269 Transport—city cycle loop ........................................................................... 5272 Crime—penalty for manslaughter ................................................................ 5273 Trade mission to the United States ............................................................... 5274 Alexander Maconochie Centre—capacity .................................................... 5277 Housing—social ........................................................................................... 5279 Emergency Services Agency—headquarters ................................................ 5280 National Multicultural Festival ..................................................................... 5281 Rostered ministers question time: Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation ................................................. 5283 Convention centre—evaluation .................................................................... 5283 Sportsgrounds—couch grass ........................................................................ 5283 Festival funding program .............................................................................. 5284 Lakes—recreational activities ...................................................................... 5285 Answers to questions on notice: Question No 1713 ......................................................................................... 5286 Question No 1800 ......................................................................................... 5286 Questions Nos 1824, 1825 and 1826 ............................................................ 5286 Question No 1786 ......................................................................................... 5287 Question No 1756 ......................................................................................... 5287 Supplementary answer to question without notice: Public housing—energy and water efficiency .............................................. 5287 Papers ....................................................................................................................... 5287 Answer to question on notice ................................................................................... 5288 Executive contracts .................................................................................................. 5288 Paper ........................................................................................................................ 5290 Financial Management Act—instruments ............................................................... 5290 Financial Management Act—consolidated annual financial statements ................. 5291 Financial Management Act—consolidated financial report .................................... 5292 Financial Management Act—consolidated financial report .................................... 5294 Financial Management Act—consolidated financial report .................................... 5294 Treasury Directorate—annual report ....................................................................... 5295 Papers ....................................................................................................................... 5295 Roads—safety .......................................................................................................... 5295 Paper ........................................................................................................................ 5299 Papers ....................................................................................................................... 5299 Planning and Development Act 2007—variation No 300 to the territory plan ....... 5299 Planning and Development Act 2007—variation No 310 to the territory plan ....... 5303 Paper ........................................................................................................................ 5305 Community Services Directorate—annual report .................................................... 5305 Targeted assistance (Matter of public importance) .................................................. 5306 Children and young people—residential care placements ....................................... 5322 Adjournment: Children and young people—care and protection ........................................ 5330 Health—freedom of information requests .................................................... 5330 Health—freedom of information requests .................................................... 5331 Uranium—proposed sale to India ................................................................. 5332 YMCA—70th anniversary ........................................................................... 5333 Special Olympics .......................................................................................... 5334 St Peter’s Memorial Lutheran church ........................................................... 5334 Community sector workers—equal pay ....................................................... 5335 Father John Eddy SJ ..................................................................................... 5336 Tuggeranong Evening VIEW Club .............................................................. 5337 Deepavali 2011 ............................................................................................. 5337 Canberra Tamil Association ......................................................................... 5337 Order of Australia Association—ACT student citizenship awards .............. 5339 Legislative Assembly for the ACT Tuesday, 15 November 2011 MR SPEAKER (Mr Rattenbury) took the chair at 10 am, made a formal recognition that the Assembly was meeting on the lands of the traditional custodians, and asked members to stand in silence and pray or reflect on their responsibilities to the people of the Australian Capital Territory. Public Accounts—Standing Committee Statement by chair MS LE COUTEUR (Molonglo): Pursuant to standing order 246A I wish to make a statement on behalf of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts in relation to reportable contracts under section 39 of the Government Procurement Act 2001. The Government Procurement Act 2001 requires agencies to provide the public accounts committee with a list of “reportable contracts” every six months. Reportable contracts are defined, with some exceptions, as procurement contracts over $20,000 that contain confidential text. Agencies provide the committee with the names of the contracting parties, the value of the contract and the nature of the contract. The committee is aware that the information directors-general provide in relation to “reportable contracts” is readily available in the public domain on the ACT government contracts register. The former Minister for Territory and Municipal Services informed the committee that consideration was being given to changing the process for the reporting of “reportable contracts”. As an interim step in this process, the committee again welcomed receiving the list of reportable contracts for this period in one consolidated report. The committee believes that there is value in the provision of a consolidated report for the six-monthly reporting periods. However, the committee is of the view that the purpose of scrutiny would be served by a report that combines the two current six-monthly reporting periods. The committee wrote to the former minister in June 2010 to convey its views on this matter. The former minister subsequently advised that while he welcomed the committee’s willingness to reduce the frequency of reports on reportable contracts, he believed that the new register rendered the reporting of reportable contracts redundant. As a consequence, the former minister indicated that he intended to change the legislation to remove the requirement for chief executives, now directors-general, to report to the committee. The Treasurer has recently written to the committee outlining a proposed amendment to the Government Procurement Act 2001, as foreshadowed by the former minister with responsibility for procurement, and seeking the committee’s views in relation to the proposed amendment. Until such