Governing the City State - Chief Minister and Treasury Directorate ...

Statutory Office HoldersOverviewIn Chapter 3, the Review recommends the number and role of statutory offices in the ACT beseparately reviewed. There is a risk that proliferation of such offices adds to fragmentation ofresponsibility within the ACT’s city state government. As was observed in one consultation,given the unique features of Canberra, statutory entities do not necessarily provide thedistance from Government that they are able to create in other larger jurisdictions. This ispartly an issue of workload and partly a reflection of the closeness of relationships betweenMinisters and their officials, and the public.In addition to that general observation, the Review notes a number of specific issues raisedwith it in the course of consultations as follows.IssuesCommissioner for Sustainability and the EnvironmentThe Review notes the concurrent review of the role and functions of the Commissioner forSustainability and the Environment is due to be released shortly. The role of theCommissioner has evolved since the Commissioner for the Environment Act 1993 242 wasenacted to encompass a broader environmental sustainability focus. Updating the legislationto reflect current practice and expectations would seem to be a sensible conclusion to thatprocess, including renaming the Act to reflect the current role.Auditor-GeneralThe Review notes that an independent performance audit of the operations of the ACTAuditor-General and the ACT Audit Office was concluded by Bob Sendt and Associates in2010. The key finding of that review was that:the ACT Audit Office is providing an important service in an efficient and effective manner,and the Legislative Assembly and people of the Australian Capital Territory are achievinggood value from the Office’s use of the taxpayer’s dollar. It achieves this notwithstanding therelatively small size of the Office, the complexity of its role and the demands upon it. 243The Review notes the Government has increased funding to the Auditor-General by anaverage of 17 per cent per a year over the five years to 2009. 244Auditors-General play a pivotal role in ensuring Government and public service performanceis scrutinised impartially and Ministers and officials are held to account for the way in which242 See http://www.legislation.act.gov.au/a/1993-37/default.asp243 Sendt, B (2010) Report of the Independent Performance Audit of the Operations of the ACT Auditor-General and the ACTAudit Office. Sydney. p.1244 Stanhope, J. MLA (2009) Hansard, 24 June 2009, p.2818.Administrative Arrangements Changes: 201