Ms LAWRIE - 2012-10-23
Ms LAWRIE to CHIEF MINISTER
I am glad you raised your five-point plan because, yes, you campaigned on it during the election. Your first point is to cut waste and reduce debt, yet you have created 10 new departments, hired 10 new CEOs, paid out a significant number of CEOs you have sacked, and are relocating two departments to Alice Springs. How does this cut waste and reduce debt?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, out of courtesy once again to the former Treasurer, I thank her for her question. As a former Treasurer, if you really had an eye you would see the answer to the question quite plainly.
Let me be very clear: the new structure of the public service in the Northern Territory has been established to provide smaller, flatter, and more responsive departments - go figure! This is with one exception, which is due to portfolio requirements.
The purpose of this new structure is to ensure our chief executives have a clear line of sight and handle on the tasks need to be addressed. It is about service delivery and focus. Our challenge is no small one and we do not underestimate the size of the challenge we have been presented with. However, we will meet it ...
Ms Lawrie: How are you cutting waste? Ten new departments, 10 new …
Madam SPEAKER: Order, order!
Mr MILLS: You have obviously missed the point. Our challenge is no small one and, obviously, the challenge is on the other side.
For example, Territorians need to know the member for Karama - and this is where the member for Karama has the audacity to come into the Chamber and ask questions with fake sincerity - allowed 90 workers in child protection to be employed and undertake important, critical work without giving the department any money at all ...
Ms Lawrie: Not true.
Mr MILLS: It needed to pay the staff.
We are committed to frontline service delivery. We need to focus the public service and ensure we can honour our commitment to provide frontline public service. We are streamlining, we are focusing, but we will not let down on the commitments made and the expectation raised in our community to provide those services. You have provided us with a terrible problem, but we will deal with that. You have given us 90 extra workers funded with not a cent.
I am glad you raised your five-point plan because, yes, you campaigned on it during the election. Your first point is to cut waste and reduce debt, yet you have created 10 new departments, hired 10 new CEOs, paid out a significant number of CEOs you have sacked, and are relocating two departments to Alice Springs. How does this cut waste and reduce debt?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, out of courtesy once again to the former Treasurer, I thank her for her question. As a former Treasurer, if you really had an eye you would see the answer to the question quite plainly.
Let me be very clear: the new structure of the public service in the Northern Territory has been established to provide smaller, flatter, and more responsive departments - go figure! This is with one exception, which is due to portfolio requirements.
The purpose of this new structure is to ensure our chief executives have a clear line of sight and handle on the tasks need to be addressed. It is about service delivery and focus. Our challenge is no small one and we do not underestimate the size of the challenge we have been presented with. However, we will meet it ...
Ms Lawrie: How are you cutting waste? Ten new departments, 10 new …
Madam SPEAKER: Order, order!
Mr MILLS: You have obviously missed the point. Our challenge is no small one and, obviously, the challenge is on the other side.
For example, Territorians need to know the member for Karama - and this is where the member for Karama has the audacity to come into the Chamber and ask questions with fake sincerity - allowed 90 workers in child protection to be employed and undertake important, critical work without giving the department any money at all ...
Ms Lawrie: Not true.
Mr MILLS: It needed to pay the staff.
We are committed to frontline service delivery. We need to focus the public service and ensure we can honour our commitment to provide frontline public service. We are streamlining, we are focusing, but we will not let down on the commitments made and the expectation raised in our community to provide those services. You have provided us with a terrible problem, but we will deal with that. You have given us 90 extra workers funded with not a cent.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016