❓ Opposition MP Jon Ford questions the Minister for Energy about the efficiency of his office, given staff turnover. The Minister defends his office's efficiency and positive work environment, attributing turnover to career progression.
AnsweredQoN 234Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
MINISTER FOR
ENERGY — OFFICE EFFICIENCY
234. Hon JON FORD to the Minister for Energy:
I refer to the minister's comments to this house on
12 August 2010 in which he said, ''My office is highly efficient.''
(1) Has this
efficiency been assisted by the fact that the minister has had four chiefs of
staff in three and a half years?
(2) Has this
efficiency been assisted by the fact that the minister has had 44 employees in
three and half years?
(3) What method
does the minister used to measure his office's efficiency?
ENERGY — OFFICE EFFICIENCY
234. Hon JON FORD to the Minister for Energy:
I refer to the minister's comments to this house on
12 August 2010 in which he said, ''My office is highly efficient.''
(1) Has this
efficiency been assisted by the fact that the minister has had four chiefs of
staff in three and a half years?
(2) Has this
efficiency been assisted by the fact that the minister has had 44 employees in
three and half years?
(3) What method
does the minister used to measure his office's efficiency?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the honourable member for
some notice of this question; it is very nice.
(1)–(3) My
office is terrific; it is a wonderful place. I go into my office on a daily
basis and it is just a really vibrant, positive place to be; I love coming to
work. I would be very safe to say that every person in the office feels exactly
the same. As Hon Jon Ford would know, at the front of the office there is a
very high turnover of clerical and administrative staff. As far as chiefs of
staff are concerned, I was very sorry to see Colin and Blair go; they went on
to other things. Darren moved on to something else, and I harbour no problems
with Darren Brown whatsoever and I wish him well in whatever he does. I have a
terrific chief of staff now, a young man by the name of Richard Wilson. In
terms of everything else, I have exactly the same energy adviser I have had
since we started off and exactly the same training adviser since we took
office. I have exactly the same Indigenous affairs officer I have had for the
last 18 months. I have had only one change in media officers, which is very unusual,
I have to say. I had Anne-Louise Senbergs there for the first three years; she
was fantastic but she wanted something a little quieter so she now works for
Andrea Mitchell, the very effective member for Kingsley, and Doug White has
taken her place and is doing a terrific job.
In terms of the efficiency of my
office, we have a turnaround rate for correspondence of one month; I am
insistent upon those standards. If the deadline cannot be met, a letter must go
out to the people who write to me stating that. As a former minister, Hon Jon
Ford would be aware that sometimes it is just not possible to get the
information when it goes through those processes and sometimes it might take
more than a month, but people will always get a letter stating that the matter
is being considered and they will receive information in due course, and that
is usually within a week. But I like to have a four-week turnaround and I am
sure the member would appreciate that that is very efficient.
In terms of everything else within the
office, we work really, really well. When I go in there I always go around and
talk to my advisers; we go through things on a daily basis. I talk to my chief
of staff every morning on a daily basis. I talk to my media adviser and he
comes in and we go through things on a daily basis. The communication in my
office is fantastic. It is a vibrant, dynamic, positive working environment and
it always has been. Although there has been a changeover in staff, I would say
that the vast majority of that has been with the front office.
Hon Helen Morton : They have gone onto bigger and better
things.
Hon PETER COLLIER : Yes; one young lady I had as my
appointments secretary went on to work for Hon Helen Morton and then got
another promotion a few weeks later. That just happens in the process of
government; it is not unusual. I will not cast aspersions, but we do not need
to look too far to find an office from the member's own side that would
have a lot bigger turnover than mine.
some notice of this question; it is very nice.
(1)–(3) My
office is terrific; it is a wonderful place. I go into my office on a daily
basis and it is just a really vibrant, positive place to be; I love coming to
work. I would be very safe to say that every person in the office feels exactly
the same. As Hon Jon Ford would know, at the front of the office there is a
very high turnover of clerical and administrative staff. As far as chiefs of
staff are concerned, I was very sorry to see Colin and Blair go; they went on
to other things. Darren moved on to something else, and I harbour no problems
with Darren Brown whatsoever and I wish him well in whatever he does. I have a
terrific chief of staff now, a young man by the name of Richard Wilson. In
terms of everything else, I have exactly the same energy adviser I have had
since we started off and exactly the same training adviser since we took
office. I have exactly the same Indigenous affairs officer I have had for the
last 18 months. I have had only one change in media officers, which is very unusual,
I have to say. I had Anne-Louise Senbergs there for the first three years; she
was fantastic but she wanted something a little quieter so she now works for
Andrea Mitchell, the very effective member for Kingsley, and Doug White has
taken her place and is doing a terrific job.
In terms of the efficiency of my
office, we have a turnaround rate for correspondence of one month; I am
insistent upon those standards. If the deadline cannot be met, a letter must go
out to the people who write to me stating that. As a former minister, Hon Jon
Ford would be aware that sometimes it is just not possible to get the
information when it goes through those processes and sometimes it might take
more than a month, but people will always get a letter stating that the matter
is being considered and they will receive information in due course, and that
is usually within a week. But I like to have a four-week turnaround and I am
sure the member would appreciate that that is very efficient.
In terms of everything else within the
office, we work really, really well. When I go in there I always go around and
talk to my advisers; we go through things on a daily basis. I talk to my chief
of staff every morning on a daily basis. I talk to my media adviser and he
comes in and we go through things on a daily basis. The communication in my
office is fantastic. It is a vibrant, dynamic, positive working environment and
it always has been. Although there has been a changeover in staff, I would say
that the vast majority of that has been with the front office.
Hon Helen Morton : They have gone onto bigger and better
things.
Hon PETER COLLIER : Yes; one young lady I had as my
appointments secretary went on to work for Hon Helen Morton and then got
another promotion a few weeks later. That just happens in the process of
government; it is not unusual. I will not cast aspersions, but we do not need
to look too far to find an office from the member's own side that would
have a lot bigger turnover than mine.
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