Qld: Qld to abolish 103 govt bodies

AAP General News (Australia)
04-22-2009
Qld: Qld to abolish 103 govt bodies

By Jessica Marszalek

BRISBANE, April 22 AAP - The Queensland government will abolish more than 100 of its
boards and other bodies in sweeping reforms designed to cut back on red tape.

Premier Anna Bligh on Wednesday announced she would adopt 175 of the 210 recommendations
made in a recent report, Brokering Balance, which showed government could save at least
$18 million a year by cutting down on the number of boards, committees and statutory authorities.

Ms Bligh said 103 bodies would be abolished, 81 would undergo changes and 79 would be kept as is.

In the majority of cases, the functions of abolished bodies would be transferred to
either a state government department or to local government, she said.

The Chicken Meat Industry Committee and the Darling Downs-Moreton Rabbit Board were
two examples of groups to be abolished.

But the government has rejected recommendations to abolish several other authorities,
Ms Bligh said.

"Importantly we have rejected some key and I think quite radical recommendations of
the review for the simple reason that many of the boards that were proposed for abolition
- such as our vital Tourism Queensland, water boards and community health councils - were
too important to lose," she told state parliament.

Ms Bligh said the government was still considering recommendations regarding remuneration.

The review was conducted by former premier's department official Simone Webbe and Griffith
University's Professor Patrick Weller.

AAP jmm/pjo/ldj

KEYWORD: WELLER

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