Estimates Replies

Arts SA

In reply to Mr MARSHALL (Dunstan—Leader of the Opposition) (18 July 2014) (Estimates committee A).

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING (Playford—Minister for Health, Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Minister for the Arts, Minister for Health Industries): I have been advised of the following:

The appointment in question relates to the reassignment of an ongoing public servant within a department as provided for under the Public Sector Act 2009.

The Public Sector Act allows departments to deploy their workforce to where the skills and resources are currently needed. In this instance an employee was returning to her substantive area within the Department of the Premier and Cabinet. This area did not have a pressing need of the employee's media and web development experience whereas Arts SA had an ongoing need for this expertise. Therefore her substantive position, including its funding, was effectively transferred from one area of the department to another. There was no vacancy to advertise and there was no change to the employee's employment conditions (e.g. classification, remuneration) resulting from the reassignment.

The creation of a new position was a required administrative step due to the fact that Corporate Affairs Branch and Arts SA were administered on different payroll databases. There was no impact on the full-time equivalent employee headcount for the Department of the Premier and Cabinet.