Parliament (Joint Services) (Staffing) Amendment Bill

Second Reading

Adjourned debate on second reading.

(Continued from 20 May 2017.)

The Hon. J.S.L. DAWKINS (12:43): I rise on behalf of Liberal members to support the bill. I think most members of this place would be aware, or should be aware, that the Joint Parliamentary Services Committee is responsible for employing many of the staff who work in Parliament House, obviously those who are outside members' personal staff, ministerial staff and, of course, what is sometimes overlooked, the staff of the two individual houses that do not come under the Joint Parliamentary Services Committee. Obviously, generally, as a broad brush the JPSC has responsibility for those people who work for the library, Hansard, catering and building services.

The Parliament (Joint Services) Act currently requires the Governor and the Executive Council to have oversight over changes to certain positions under the JPSC. Any reclassifications or creation of new positions currently have to be sent by the JPSC to the Governor for approval in the Executive Council. This bill has been drafted by the government to remove that necessity and to transfer the powers directly to the JPSC.

For my sins, I have spent some 14 years on the JPSC. I did not commence that role immediately on taking on the role of whip because there was a difficult matter that the JPSC was dealing with when the Hon. Caroline Schaefer was whip. She wished to continue in that role for a period of about 12 months while that matter was resolved, but I have been on the JPSC ever since. The necessity for the JPSC to refer these matters to the Governor and Executive Council is something that happens infrequently. It is certainly not something that happens after every JPSC meeting. I think the change is not something that is vital, but if it allows the Executive Council to shorten some of their meetings by what I would say is probably a minuscule amount, then so be it.

I want to make some comments in relation to the consultation. The consultation on this bill ignored the Legislative Council. Some of us here would not be surprised by that. In the preparation of the bill, the government only consulted with the Speaker of the House of Assembly and the Commissioner for Public Sector Employment. I will come back to that. In alternate years, the Speaker of the House of Assembly is the chair of the JPSC, and in those years the Clerk of the House of Assembly is the secretary of the JPSC. That is not the case this year.

I would have thought that both presiding members, as the alternative chairs of the JPSC, and both clerks would have been consulted, particularly given that this year our President is the Chair of the JPSC and our very good Clerk is the secretary of the JPSC. Some consultation might have been done with them, but there are people in this state who think there is only one house of parliament, and we have to remind them occasionally that that is not the case.

The other thing is that I think that consultation with the Commissioner for Public Sector Employment is bizarre. This is the parliament. The parliament is separate from the public sector, and long may it be so. Like a lot of things that emanate out of the House of Assembly, the preparation for this was fairly poor. However, I have been on the JPSC for a long time and seen the sorts of uncontroversial changes that are made. Quite often they are sensible changes based on suggestions made by the heads of the various departments in this parliament. Having made those points, I would urge members of government to perhaps take the message back that, when these things are being done—

The Hon. I.K. Hunter interjecting:

The Hon. J.S.L. DAWKINS: Yes, very much so. I would address that to the Acting President as well, that I think perhaps they would remind their colleagues that there is more than one house in this parliament and that perhaps the preparation in any similar legislation might acknowledge that. With those words, I support the bill on behalf of the Liberal Party.

Debate adjourned on motion of Hon. T.J. Stephens.

Sitting suspended from 12:50 to 14:17.