❓ Hon. Kate Doust questions the Minister for Commerce about cost reductions in the consumer protection division beyond the abolition of employment agent licensing. The Minister's response is vague, citing electronic technology and red tape reduction, and highlighting the department's broad scope.
AnsweredQoN 1168Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
DEPARTMENT
OF COMMERCE — COST REDUCTIONS
1168. Hon KATE DOUST to the
Minister for Commerce:
I refer to page 48 of the Department of Commerce's ''Annual
Report 2014–2015'', in which reducing costs without compromising
standards is listed as a significant issue impacting the agency. Apart from the
abolition of licensing for employment agents, what else has the minister done
in the consumer protection division to reduce costs without compromising
standards?
OF COMMERCE — COST REDUCTIONS
1168. Hon KATE DOUST to the
Minister for Commerce:
I refer to page 48 of the Department of Commerce's ''Annual
Report 2014–2015'', in which reducing costs without compromising
standards is listed as a significant issue impacting the agency. Apart from the
abolition of licensing for employment agents, what else has the minister done
in the consumer protection division to reduce costs without compromising
standards?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for the question. To give a comprehensive
response to that would take much longer than parliamentary question time would
allow, and I am at a disadvantage because I did not have notice of the question
in advance.
Insofar as the work of the Department of Commerce in finding
efficiencies, there has been a considerable number. Quite apart from the red
tape reduction measures that relieve the department of a number of unnecessary
obligations, we have been converting to a greater use of electronic technology
in order to achieve licensing efficiencies. That allows, as an example, the
ability to continue to provide the necessary processes for the licensing and
registration of various trades, whether they be through the Building Commission
or real estate or a variety of other fields, while at same time saving costs
and making the processes more efficient by cutting down the time and necessity
for processing paperwork. There is a variety of initiatives. The employment
agents issue is one. Members will recall that we disposed of the need for the
registration of travel agents. Some years ago we got rid of the need to
register hairdressers; the process to dispose of that particular piece of
legislation was quite lengthy. All those measures do not affect frontline
services, but still achieve the needs of improving efficiencies and diverting
resources from unnecessary fields of operation into the core areas of the
department's work. Members will be aware, no doubt—the member
who asked the question will be aware—that Commerce is not simply just
one operation and one division. It ranges over a variety of divisions; consumer
protection, alone, deals not only with consumer issues, but also retail trading
hours, the operation of retirement villages, long-term residential parks and
the monitoring of various scams. The Building Commission division deals with
the registration and oversight of builders and various building trades. The
WorkSafe division deals with occupational health and safety; although it is not
formally part of the department, there is oversight by me, as part of my
portfolio, of the operations of WorkCover WA. EnergySafety deals with all
elements of electrical and gas safety. There is an area that deals with labour
relations. Commerce covers a whole field of areas. Many efficiencies can be
achieved without affecting frontline services, even by the simple measure of
turning to more use of electronic technology.
response to that would take much longer than parliamentary question time would
allow, and I am at a disadvantage because I did not have notice of the question
in advance.
Insofar as the work of the Department of Commerce in finding
efficiencies, there has been a considerable number. Quite apart from the red
tape reduction measures that relieve the department of a number of unnecessary
obligations, we have been converting to a greater use of electronic technology
in order to achieve licensing efficiencies. That allows, as an example, the
ability to continue to provide the necessary processes for the licensing and
registration of various trades, whether they be through the Building Commission
or real estate or a variety of other fields, while at same time saving costs
and making the processes more efficient by cutting down the time and necessity
for processing paperwork. There is a variety of initiatives. The employment
agents issue is one. Members will recall that we disposed of the need for the
registration of travel agents. Some years ago we got rid of the need to
register hairdressers; the process to dispose of that particular piece of
legislation was quite lengthy. All those measures do not affect frontline
services, but still achieve the needs of improving efficiencies and diverting
resources from unnecessary fields of operation into the core areas of the
department's work. Members will be aware, no doubt—the member
who asked the question will be aware—that Commerce is not simply just
one operation and one division. It ranges over a variety of divisions; consumer
protection, alone, deals not only with consumer issues, but also retail trading
hours, the operation of retirement villages, long-term residential parks and
the monitoring of various scams. The Building Commission division deals with
the registration and oversight of builders and various building trades. The
WorkSafe division deals with occupational health and safety; although it is not
formally part of the department, there is oversight by me, as part of my
portfolio, of the operations of WorkCover WA. EnergySafety deals with all
elements of electrical and gas safety. There is an area that deals with labour
relations. Commerce covers a whole field of areas. Many efficiencies can be
achieved without affecting frontline services, even by the simple measure of
turning to more use of electronic technology.
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