In reply to Hon. IAN GILFILLAN (23 July).
  The Hon. K.T. GRIFFIN: the Minister for Police, Correctional Services and Emergency Services has been advised that:
 Contrary to the Hon. Gilfillan's suggestion, the Minister for Police, indeed the Government, remain committed to sound management principles such as continual improve-ment and quality service delivery.
 1. The Police Commissioner signed a contract on 2 January 1997.
 2. The contract includes a clause allowing performance standards to be set from time to time by the Minister.
 3. & 4. The Minister for Police has not, at this time, set any performance stand-ards, hence he has not laid any statement or statements of these standards before either House of Parliament.
 5. The current Police Act does not require the Minister to set performance standards rather it stipulates that the Commissioner's con-tract must specify (among other things):
 `that the Commissioner is to meet performance standards as set from time to time by the Minister'; and,
 `on setting or varying the performance standards to be met by the Commissioner, the Minister must cause a statement or variation to be laid before each House of Parliament'.
 The Minister for Police intends, when the Police Bill comes into operation, to set and subsequently table in Parliament the per-formance standards to be met the Police Commissioner.
 6. It is the Government's inten-tion to require the Police Com-missioner to ensure that management practices em-ployed in the South Australia Police are directed towards the effective, responsive and efficient delivery of services and, among other things, equitable human resource practices as well as continuous improvement in the delivery of services. To assist the Commissioner, the Police Bill proposes that the Commissioner (not the Minister or the Govern-ment) may from time to time set performance standards to be met by a police officer of or above the rank of inspector. The Police Bill also places obligations on the Commissioner to deal with unsatisfactory performance in an equitable and flexible manner.

 
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