reflecting on Dr Flegg's responsibilities

Before it disappears from the website, let's remind ourselves of Dr Bruce Flegg's Ministerial Charter letter from Premier Campbell Newman........

10 April 2012

The Honourable Dr Bruce Flegg MP

Minister for Housing and Public Works

Level 7, 80 George Street

BRISBANE QLD 4000

Dear Minister

Ministerial Deliverables

Congratulations on your success in the electorate of Moggill and thank you for accepting my invitation to serve Queensland as the Minister for Housing and Public Works.    

                  

Our electoral success was achieved with a strong cohesive CanDo team committed to real change, and your contribution to the team played a significant part.  Queenslanders have voted for change, and it is critical that we respect the trust bestowed on us by delivering on our commitments to grow a four pillar economy, lower the cost of living by cutting waste, deliver better infrastructure and better planning, revitalise front line services for families, restore accountability in Government and work towards our goal of achieving 4% unemployment in six years.

For this reason, I am writing to each Minister outlining my expectations of the priority tasks to be achieved to deliver on our election commitments.   You and your Department have a vital role to play in the reform program, as reflected in the following tasks for which I am requesting you to take responsibility. 

I expect that at all times Ministers will demonstrate to the public the capabilities and behaviours that will define us as the Government we undertook to be – united, energetic, disciplined and ethical. I refer you to the Queensland Cabinet Handbook, the Queensland Ministerial Handbook, the Queensland Executive Council Handbook, the Queensland Parliamentary Procedures Handbook and the Queensland Legislation Handbook.

First Term Tasks

The following tasks within your area of Ministerial responsibility are to be achieved within the first term of Government.

·         Implement all LNP election policy commitments relevant to your portfolio.

·         Identify wasteful expenditure that could be redirected to front line services.

·         Provide public housing and public works advice, projects and services as required to implement LNP election policies.

·         Ensure that all operations within the Department are targeted to enable effective and efficient delivery of frontline services and develop a plan to enable this best business practice to continue.

·         Work with the Minister for Education, Training and Employment to achieve targets set for training of apprentices and trainees as required for implementation of recommendations of the Skills and Training Taskforce.

·         Review and reform arrangements for licensing and regulation in the building industry including taking account of the 2011 KPMG review of the Building Services Authority.

·         Audit all current Departmental processes and arrangements for provision of public housing with respect to their effectiveness and efficiency in meeting public housing needs.

·         Develop and implement a broad and integrated strategy to meet the need for public housing including arrangements with the private sector and utilising Commonwealth funding to best advantage.   

·         Implement the LNP’s election commitment to cut waste by reducing travel, advertising and consultancy expenditure.

·         Implement the LNP’s election commitment for sustainable public sector growth.

·         Implement the LNP’s election commitment to reduce red tape.

·         Continue to establish effective working relationships with stakeholders and other interest groups relevant to your portfolio areas.

Could you please consult with your Director-General to ensure these goals are understood by the Department and that systems are in place to monitor and report on progress towards their achievement, so that you are able to update Cabinet regularly. In this regard, the Department of Premier and Cabinet will be responsible for coordinating reports to Cabinet on progress, and will assist your Department with proposed reporting formats. 

I intend to review this charter and your efforts to implement it regularly.

Finally, I congratulate you again on your appointment and I look forward to working closely with you as a Ministerial colleague as we implement our policies and achieve the goal of providing a CanDo Government to get Queensland back on track.

Yours sincerely

CAMPBELL NEWMAN

PREMIER OF QUEENSLAND