[Greens-Media] Committee can work better

[Manderson, Roland]

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ACT GREENS MLA DEB FOSKEY MEDIA RELEASE
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18 June 2007


Committee can work better

ACT Greens MLA Deb Foskey has called on the deposed chair of the Public
Accounts Committee to get off his high horse and back to work.

"I understand that Mr Mulcahy is offended that the Public Accounts
Committee lost confidence in his leadership" Dr Foskey said today.

"But it is not a decision that I, or deputy Chair Karin MacDonald, took
lightly."

"Over the years, the Committee secretariat has lost some good staff. In
an environment where skilled professional staff are in high demand, the
onus is on Committee members to take a collaborative respectful approach
to our work here, and to the people we work with.  That is the way we
can get the best outcomes for the Assembly and the community."

"The majority of the Committee came to the view that it was not working
in that way under the leadership of Mr Mulcahy." 

"Karin Macdonald (deputy chair) and I believe that committees work best
as a team. We offered Mr Mulcahy more gracious ways of stepping aside
from his position. He has decided, instead, to invent a political
conspiracy to account for our actions."

"I am happy to put on the record that in regard to my decision to
support Ms Macdonald's vote of no confidence in the Chair of the
Committee, there have been no discussions nor agreements with the Labor
Party, the ACT Government, or any of its members about the content of
any inquiries, nor about any future political collaborations or
arrangements."

"There is no reason why Mr Mulcahy can't continue to contribute strongly
to the Public Accounts Committee as an ordinary member, as I have done.
We have worked well together in the past, particularly at public
hearings, in applying an energetic and broad ranging scrutiny to this
Government's activities."

"The Canberra Liberal Party, and the Assembly, would function much
better if Members gave up their habits of political grandstanding and
throwing their weight around, and concentrated more on the job at hand"
Dr Foskey said. 



================================
Roland Manderson   Media Advisor
ACT   Greens    MLA  Deb  Foskey  
Legislative Assembly for the ACT 
ph(02)62050551      m 0412241379
==== www.act.greens.org.au ===== 
  
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