22 July 2009

ESA Governance to be "further strengthened"

| johnboy
Join the conversation
4

One thing a visitor quickly notices in the authorised media of countries under dictatorships is that problems in the Government are only ever reported in terms of their solutions.

Something very similar appears in the media releases of the Stanhope Government.

Today Simon Corbell announces that he’s moving to “further strengthen” the governance of the Emergency Services Agency. It was strong before he’s making sure we know. He’s just making it a bit stronger…

    “I have also made this decision with regard to the emerging issues from the current Victorian Royal Commission into the Victorian bushfires with specific attention to command and control arrangements in the ACT’s fire services,” Mr Corbell said.

    “As a result of these discussions each of the four services will now have their own Chief Officer.”

    Mr Corbell said the Government would consult with key stakeholders to determine the scope of the role of the each Chief Officer as well as settle revised command and control arrangements within their respective services.

    “It is also a timely opportunity to review the management structure within the ACT Ambulance Service, following a recent report by the ACT Auditor-General,” he said.

    “Following discussions with the Transport Workers Union, I have directed my department to establish a review process to examine management structures within the ACTAS.”

But nothing was actually wrong OK?

UPDATED: Brendan Smyth, in greeting this news has not been kind:

    “It is an admission the current system is not working. The Minister claims that the reason for this change to the structure of senior management in the Agency was ‘to further strengthen governance within the Emergency Services Agency’.

    “The Canberra Liberals’ proposal for a separate Chief Officer for each of the four services is now belatedly being supported by Mr Corbell. This is catch-up politics from a Minister struggling under the pressure.

    “The Minister has been under pressure to attempt to re-establish credibility in its management of emergency services, after the damaging Auditor-General’s report into the Ambulance services and the ongoing criticism of the ACT’s ability to cope with a large emergency situation.

    “In a rush for Mr Corbell to be seen to be doing something, it would be interesting to learn if management from the other services were consulted before this decision was made.

Join the conversation

4
All Comments
  • All Comments
  • Website Comments
LatestOldest

monkeys with typewriters approach to management.

Statistically, it has to happen eventually.

This Government and Corbell running it, not likely.

Maybe this time there’ll be a real improvement.

Daily Digest

Want the best Canberra news delivered daily? Every day we package the most popular Riotact stories and send them straight to your inbox. Sign-up now for trusted local news that will never be behind a paywall.

By submitting your email address you are agreeing to Region Group's terms and conditions and privacy policy.