Committee Details

COMMITTEE’S REPORT

The Finance and Administration Committee tabled its Report No. 51, 54th Parliament - Queensland Plan Bill 2014, on Friday 10 October 2014. The Premier tabled the Government's response to this report on 16 October 2014. The Bill was passed with amendments by the Queensland Parliament on 16 October 2014.

ABOUT THE BILL

On Tuesday 26 August 2014, the Premier introduced the Queensland Plan Bill 2014 to the Queensland Parliament. In accordance with Standing Order 131, the Bill was referred to the Finance and Administration Committee for detailed consideration.

The primary policy objectives of the Bill, as detailed in the explanatory notes, are to:

• vest responsibility in the Premier for facilitating the development of, reporting on and reviewing, a long-term plan – known in this instance as the Queensland Plan;
• provide overarching guidance about the purpose and principles of the Queensland Plan in articulating the community’s long-term vision for Queensland;
• provide for the development of a Queensland Government response to the Queensland Plan (the government response) that will outline the State government’s contribution to implementing the Queensland Plan;
• ensure that the policies, programs and services delivered by State government departments and statutory bodies are consistent with the strategic direction of the government response;
• enable the Premier to determine a set of core outcomes for State government departments and statutory bodies to achieve as part of the government response;
• require State government departments and statutory bodies, in their annual reports under the Financial Accountability Act 2009, to report on their progress in developing policies and programs, and delivering services, that are consistent with the strategic direction of the government response to the Queensland Plan;
• require each local government, in preparing its five-year corporate plan in accordance with the requirements of the Local Government Regulation 2012 and the City of Brisbane Regulation 2012, to have regard to the strategic direction of the Queensland Plan, and to report annually on their performance in achieving these strategic directions;
• provide governance arrangements to support the establishment and ongoing functioning of the Queensland Plan Ambassadors Council (the ambassadors council);
• require the Premier to prepare, in consultation with the ambassadors council, an annual progress report on the implementation of the Queensland Plan, and to table a copy of the report in the Legislative Assembly;
• encourage the uptake of the strategic vision of the Queensland Plan by the community, business and industry;
• provide for the public availability of the Queensland Plan, for example, by being available on a State government website; and
• provide for the review of the Queensland Plan every five years and for the engagement of the ambassadors council and the community, business and industry, in this process.

The Committee was required to report on the Bill by Friday 10 October 2014.

PUBLIC BRIEFING AND PUBLIC HEARING

SUBMISSIONS

The date for written submissions closed on 22 September 2014. Please view them under the “Submissions” tab above.