The Community Action Party seeks to improve the administration of the ACT as well as strengthen the relationship with the Commonwealth Government. The Party will emphasise the role of the ACT as a municipal government, a self-governing territory, a city-state, and the national capital.
The ACT Government boasts of its expenditure on infrastructure and programs, but Government administration needs to refocus attention on improved outcomes for people, places and communities. The Party will work with the community, the Legislative Assembly, public servants, and the Commonwealth Government to improve processes for the administration of the national capital.
Cooperation with other governments
The Party will work with the Commonwealth Government to actively engage it in the affairs of the ACT as appropriate. The residents of the ACT should bear less of the financial burden of developing and maintaining the national capital .
The Party will seek wherever possible to arrange regional alliances with nearby councils and state bodies to improve the range and quality of services provided by the ACT Government.
The legislature
The Party will seek to increase the transparency and accountability of government by strengthening the role of the Assembly in government decision-making by increasing the role and power of Assembly committees.
The Party will review the powers of the Chief Minister and the executive to open up decision-making to the entire Legislative Assembly. The Party supports sharing the ministerial burden much more widely, as recommended by ACT Law Society. Ultimately, this should lead to a more integrated, collective decision-making process, one based on consensus rather than narrow 'majoritarianism'.
The Party supports the establishment of a program of professional competence training for newly elected and re-elected MLAs, as well as the publication of individual annual assessments of contributions and remunerations.
The public service
The Party will work with public servants and the wider community to maintain and enhance the impartiality and professionalism of the ACT public service.
The Party will review working conditions to retain and attract public servants of the highest calibre.
The Party supports the strengthening of the Public Sector Management Act (1994).
The Party will ask the Auditor General to review the success of 'Shared Services' on a whole-of-government-cost basis.
The Party will review the use of consultants to ensure that the ACT Government only uses consultants to provide services that cannot reasonably be provided by the public service.
The Party will seek to ensure that departmental responsibilities are defined to improve coordination between government agencies.
The Party will work to improve the accessibility of ACT government services to the ACT community.
Accountability and consultation
The Party supports open and transparent decision-making with high standards of accountability to the community directly, to the Assembly and through other suitably resourced agencies such as the Auditor General and the Ombudsman.
The Party will work with communities before making decisions and will insist that government departments do the same.
The Party supports the abolition of ministerial 'call in powers' that have been used to short circuit the democratic process and forestall community debate of crucial issues.
Structure
The Party supports an investigation into the feasibility of creating local town councils across the ACT with appropriate budgets to provide essential municipal services to residents.
The Party supports the promotion of both Weston Creek and Molonglo to town centre status so that they are each entitled to a public library and arts facilities.
Economy
The Party believes that parliamentary pay rises should be aligned with increases in the Average Workers' Ordinary Time Earnings (AWOTE).
The Party will ensure that politicians and senior public officials fulfil their duty to keep expenses incurred in the normal course of their duties to a minimum.