Mr KURRUPUWU - 2014-11-25
Can you update the Assembly on the Chief Minister’s Awards for Excellence in the Public Sector and the recent positive announcement by the government on working conditions for public servants? How have the awards and the reform package been received?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I think the member for Arafura has an ulterior motive in asking that question because he knows the Tiwi Islands project around economic reform on the Tiwi Islands was one of the winners of a public service award recently. It was not won by the Tiwi Islands; it was won by certain members across a range of government departments who are working together, whether it be DCM, Land Resource Management, Lands and Planning, the work Transport is doing or building the barge landings on the Tiwi Islands.
It is all about economic reform, and the member for Arafura supports economic reform and getting jobs for Tiwi Islanders. I know he is excited, but we are all excited on this side of the Chamber.
The public service awards are a good thing to attend. I went last year, when they were held at the Holiday Inn on the Esplanade in a smaller room. There were probably about 150 people, and I was amazed with the awards themselves and thought they were a good opportunity for government to say thank you to public servants for the hard work they do.
In my opinion they were not big enough, not recognised enough, so we expanded them this year. We had 600 people attend the public service awards and had to turn 150 people away. It was a fantastic night. Across nine awards categories we recognised the hard work of the public service.
We also had an opportunity to announce some reforms to the public service, and I will run through a few. The changes we announced included provision for more flexible work hours so staff can negotiate to start and finish early or start and finish late depending on their personal circumstances; the ability for non-essential staff to accrue leave over the Christmas shutdown period – which will start next year – from 25 December to 1 January, bringing the Territory in line with other jurisdictions across the country; new training guarantees for public servants at the A02 to A05 level to assist employees with their professional development; the ability for staff to have their HECS fees reimbursed if they study an Asian language as part of our commitment to north Australia development; and simplification of the recruitment process to make it easier to apply for government jobs. They are some of the announcements made, which were warmly welcomed by public servants on the night and have been warmly welcomed by many across the public service to date.
I understand the public sector union is a firm supporter of the work we have done. It has said, ‘Thanks very much. It is amazing Labor was in government for eleven-and-a-half years and didn’t bring some of these reforms in.’
We are mindful of the level of work many in the public service are doing to support the north, the hard work they have done on TIO and a range of other things to reform the agenda and support development of the Northern Territory into the future.
I say thank you and I look forward to announcing more reforms in the future.
Madam SPEAKER: Chief Minister, your time has expired.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I think the member for Arafura has an ulterior motive in asking that question because he knows the Tiwi Islands project around economic reform on the Tiwi Islands was one of the winners of a public service award recently. It was not won by the Tiwi Islands; it was won by certain members across a range of government departments who are working together, whether it be DCM, Land Resource Management, Lands and Planning, the work Transport is doing or building the barge landings on the Tiwi Islands.
It is all about economic reform, and the member for Arafura supports economic reform and getting jobs for Tiwi Islanders. I know he is excited, but we are all excited on this side of the Chamber.
The public service awards are a good thing to attend. I went last year, when they were held at the Holiday Inn on the Esplanade in a smaller room. There were probably about 150 people, and I was amazed with the awards themselves and thought they were a good opportunity for government to say thank you to public servants for the hard work they do.
In my opinion they were not big enough, not recognised enough, so we expanded them this year. We had 600 people attend the public service awards and had to turn 150 people away. It was a fantastic night. Across nine awards categories we recognised the hard work of the public service.
We also had an opportunity to announce some reforms to the public service, and I will run through a few. The changes we announced included provision for more flexible work hours so staff can negotiate to start and finish early or start and finish late depending on their personal circumstances; the ability for non-essential staff to accrue leave over the Christmas shutdown period – which will start next year – from 25 December to 1 January, bringing the Territory in line with other jurisdictions across the country; new training guarantees for public servants at the A02 to A05 level to assist employees with their professional development; the ability for staff to have their HECS fees reimbursed if they study an Asian language as part of our commitment to north Australia development; and simplification of the recruitment process to make it easier to apply for government jobs. They are some of the announcements made, which were warmly welcomed by public servants on the night and have been warmly welcomed by many across the public service to date.
I understand the public sector union is a firm supporter of the work we have done. It has said, ‘Thanks very much. It is amazing Labor was in government for eleven-and-a-half years and didn’t bring some of these reforms in.’
We are mindful of the level of work many in the public service are doing to support the north, the hard work they have done on TIO and a range of other things to reform the agenda and support development of the Northern Territory into the future.
I say thank you and I look forward to announcing more reforms in the future.
Madam SPEAKER: Chief Minister, your time has expired.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016