Yang JianDr JIAN YANG (National): Part 2 deals with codes of conduct and also inquiries. In terms of codes of conduct on the website of the State Services Commission there is a statement actually. It specifically states why there is no code of conduct for Crown entity board members. It says As the Crown Entities Act 2004 specifies individual and collective duties of board members the Commissioner has decided not to include the personal conduct of board members in the coverage of the code of conduct." Now of course we are going to change that. On the other hand it is important for us to make sure that we make it clear how we will apply the code of conduct. Will it be collectively or individually?A submission by the Institute of Directors specifically raised this particular point. It emphasised the importance of there being clarity around the collective and individual duties of boards and board members under the Crown Entities Act 2004 and their obligations under a code of conduct. While legislation takes precedence there may be issues with how the Act and the code interrelate and operate. It also emphasises the importance of how the proposal will not compromise the statutory independence of independent Crown entities. I think these are points that we need to bear in mind when we come to talk about this code of conduct issue.I am very proud that the Governance and Administration Committee made a substantial contribution to Part 2 of this particular bill. For instance the committee included section 9A(4) about exemptions—some members have mentioned that. But at the same time the committee also made an effort to constrain the power of our commissioner—for example in clause 8A. The reason for us to have the exemption clause is to ensure the commissioner would have more power to make sure that the witness would be able to give their evidence without being concerned about the access of third parties. So that is important in that sense. At the same time the committee also made it clear that we need to somehow limit the power of the commissioner in this particular case with the exemption. This kind of an exemption will be applied only to formal inquiries not to other inquiries—it must be very formal. The committee also proposed a new section which would provide a mechanism for a witness to apply to the court seeking an order to allow them to withhold privileged confidential or State-sensitive material.At the same time the committee would also constrain the commissioner under the bill. As introduced the commissioner would have had relatively wide powers to enter the premises of a State services agency where an inquiry is being launched into integrity matters. Well this bill as amended by the committee will constrain the commissioner's power. The committee also made a contribution in the sense that the commissioner would make sure that this kind of inquiry would be limited only to formal inquiries and also transparency will be assured with annual reports because with annual reports we'll be able to know how many inquiries have been launched in the past year and also all those details. This will ensure transparency. This bill itself of course is about integrity openness and of course transparency. So the committee itself made a great contribution in this sense. Thank you Mr Chair."