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Motion · 16 September 2026

Minister for city and government services: Resolution of censure

Wording in the final text came from Tara CheyneLabor · Minister (1), Ed CocksLiberal · Opposition (1), Fiona CarrickIndependent · Crossbench (1)

In short

Proposed
Mark Parton brought this motion on 16 September 2026.
Changed
5 changes proposed by 5 MLAs; 4 agreed, from Andrew Braddock, Tara Cheyne, Ed Cocks and Fiona Carrick.
Decided
Agreed as changed, in a recorded vote of 13 to 10.
Final wording
Compared with the original, 62 words taken out and 108 words put in. See every difference
  1. What was proposedMark PartonLiberal · Opposition
    Read the original wording (170 words)

    That this Assembly: (1) notes that on 18 June this year, the Assembly passed a motion calling for the Government to pause the Sunday library closures; (2) further notes despite the Assembly resolution, the Sunday library closures proceeded earlier this year; (3) further notes that in May of 2025, Minister Cheyne introduced legislation to enable seatbelt infringements detected by cameras; (4) further notes that since enforcement began in November 2025 the Government issued 12,850 infringements before discovering in August of this year that the cameras had not been properly authorised for seatbelt enforcement; (5) recognises the role that the Assembly plays in holding the Government to account, particularly in the context of the Westminster conventions on ministerial accountability in our system of responsible government; (6) notes the importance of Ministers ensuring senior leaders of the ACT Public Service are held accountable; and (7) censures Minister Tara Cheyne for proceeding with ACT Library closures in contempt of the clear Assembly resolution and failures in the traffic infringement area of her portfolio responsibilities.

  2. Proposed changeAndrew BraddockGreens · Crossbench16 September 2026

    Grouped by key words as: rewrote the proposal, took words out.

    The exact wording of this change

    together: 1. Omit paragraphs (3) and (4). 2. In paragraph (7), omit all words after “Assembly resolution”.

    Agreed on the voices. No individual votes were recorded. Agreed. It only took words out, so there's nothing to find in the final text.

  3. Change to Andrew Braddock's changeTara CheyneLabor · Minister16 September 2026

    Grouped by key words as: added a new call or point, changed a date or deadline.

    The exact wording of this change

    to Mr Braddock’s proposed amendments: Add: “(8) notes that the ACT Government has committed to expanding community access to ACT libraries, including prioritising weekend branch access at Kippax and Erindale from July 2027; continuing to improve and modernise library services across Canberra through service delivery models that enhance accessibility, responsiveness and value for the community; and publishing an evaluation of library operating arrangements by March 2027 to guide future improvements.”.

    Agreed on the voices. No individual votes were recorded. Its wording is in the final text.

  4. Proposed changeThomas EmersonIndependent · Crossbench16 September 2026

    Proposed changing “censures” to “admonishes”. Our summary, review in progress

    The exact wording of this change

    to the motion, as amended: In paragraph (7), omit “censures”, substitute “admonishes”. Debate continued.

    Not agreed in a recorded vote, 10 to 11.

    Ayes 10

    • Andrew Barr, Michael Pettersson, Chris Steel, Tara Cheyne, Rachel Stephen-Smith, Caitlin Tough, Suzanne Orr, Marisa Paterson
    • Leanne Castley
    • Thomas Emerson

    Noes 11

    • Chiaka Barry, Jeremy Hanson, Deborah Morris, Peter Cain, Mark Parton, Ed Cocks
    • Andrew Braddock, Laura Nuttall, Jo Clay, Rebecca Vassarotti
    • Fiona Carrick
  5. Proposed changeEd CocksLiberal · Opposition16 September 2026

    Grouped by key words as: added a new call or point.

    Before

    (1) notes that on 18 June this year, the Assembly passed a motion calling for the Government to pause the Sunday library closures

    After this change

    (1) notes that on 12 June this year, the Assembly passed a motion calling for the Government to pause the Sunday library closures;

    The exact wording of this change

    to the motion, as amended: Omit paragraph (1), substitute: “(1) notes that on 12 June this year, the Assembly passed a motion calling for the Government to pause the Sunday library closures;”. Debate continued.

    Agreed on the voices. No individual votes were recorded. Its wording is in the final text.

  6. Proposed changeFiona CarrickIndependent · Crossbench16 September 2026

    Grouped by key words as: added a new call or point.

    The exact wording of this change

    to the motion, as amended, together: 1. After paragraph (2), insert: “(3) further notes despite the Assembly resolution, the Government did not provide an assessment on the impact on services and amenities from relocating Access Canberra into the Woden Library;”. 2. In paragraph (7), after “ACT Library closures”, insert: “and not providing an assessment on the impact on services and amenities from relocating Access Canberra into the Woden library”. Debate continued.

    Agreed in a recorded vote, 12 to 9. Some of its wording is in the final text.

    Ayes 12

    • Chiaka Barry, Jeremy Hanson, Deborah Morris, Peter Cain, Mark Parton, Ed Cocks
    • Andrew Braddock, Laura Nuttall, Jo Clay, Rebecca Vassarotti
    • Fiona Carrick, Thomas Emerson

    Noes 9

    • Andrew Barr, Rachel Stephen-Smith, Caitlin Tough, Tara Cheyne, Suzanne Orr, Marisa Paterson, Michael Pettersson, Chris Steel
    • Leanne Castley
  7. What the Assembly decidedAgreed

    Recorded vote on the final question

    Ayes 13

    • Chiaka Barry, Elizabeth Lee, James Milligan, Peter Cain, Deborah Morris, Mark Parton, Ed Cocks, Jeremy Hanson
    • Andrew Braddock, Laura Nuttall, Jo Clay, Rebecca Vassarotti
    • Fiona Carrick

    Noes 10

    • Andrew Barr, Chris Steel, Rachel Stephen-Smith, Tara Cheyne, Caitlin Tough, Suzanne Orr, Marisa Paterson, Michael Pettersson
    • Leanne Castley
    • Thomas Emerson
    Final agreed wording, with changes marked

    That this Assembly: (1) notes that on 12 June this year, the Assembly passed a motion calling for the Government to pause the Sunday library closuresCocks; (2) further notes despite the Assembly resolution: (a) the Sunday library closures proceeded earlier this year; and (b) the Government did not provide an assessment on the impact on services and amenities from relocating Access Canberra into the Woden Library; (3) recognises the role that the Assembly plays in holding the Government to account, particularly in the context of the Westminster conventions on ministerial accountability in our system of responsible government; (4) notes the importance of Ministers ensuring senior leaders of the ACT Public Service are held accountable; (5) censures Minister Tara Cheyne for proceeding with ACT Library closures and not providing an assessment on the impact on services and amenities from relocating Access Canberra into the Woden libraryCarrick in contempt of the clear Assembly resolution; and (6) notes that the ACT Government has committed to expanding community access to ACT libraries, including prioritising weekend branch access at Kippax and Erindale from July 2027; continuing to improve and modernise library services across Canberra through service delivery models that enhance accessibility, responsiveness and value for the community; and publishing an evaluation of library operating arrangements by March 2027 to guide future improvements.

    Original and final wording compared

    That this Assembly: (1) notes that on [taken out: 18][put in: 12]June this year, the Assembly passed a motion calling for the Government to pause the Sunday library closures; (2) further notes despite the Assembly resolution: [put in: (a)]the Sunday library closures proceeded earlier this year; [taken out: (3) further notes that in May of 2025, Minister Cheyne introduced legislation to enable seatbelt infringements detected by cameras; (4) further notes that since enforcement began in November 2025][put in: and (b)]the Government [taken out: issued 12,850 infringements before discovering in August of this year that the cameras had][put in: did]not [taken out: been properly authorised for seatbelt enforcement; (5)][put in: provide an assessment on the impact on services and amenities from relocating Access Canberra into the Woden Library; (3)]recognises the role that the Assembly plays in holding the Government to account, particularly in the context of the Westminster conventions on ministerial accountability in our system of responsible government; [taken out: (6)][put in: (4)]notes the importance of Ministers ensuring senior leaders of the ACT Public Service are held accountable; [taken out: and (7)][put in: (5)]censures Minister Tara Cheyne for proceeding with ACT Library closures [put in: and not providing an assessment on the impact on services and amenities from relocating Access Canberra into the Woden library]in contempt of the clear Assembly resolution; and [taken out: failures in][put in: (6) notes that]the [taken out: traffic infringement area][put in: ACT Government has committed to expanding community access to ACT libraries, including prioritising weekend branch access at Kippax and Erindale from July 2027; continuing to improve and modernise library services across Canberra through service delivery models that enhance accessibility, responsiveness and value for the community; and publishing an evaluation]of [taken out: her portfolio responsibilities.][put in: library operating arrangements by March 2027 to guide future improvements.]

    Compared word by word by computer, ignoring punctuation. It shows what differs, not which change made each difference; the steps above show that.

Other recorded votes in this debate

That the motion, as amended,

Ayes 13

  • Chiaka Barry, Elizabeth Lee, James Milligan, Peter Cain, Deborah Morris, Mark Parton, Ed Cocks, Jeremy Hanson
  • Andrew Braddock, Laura Nuttall, Jo Clay, Rebecca Vassarotti
  • Fiona Carrick

Noes 10

  • Andrew Barr, Chris Steel, Rachel Stephen-Smith, Tara Cheyne, Caitlin Tough, Suzanne Orr, Marisa Paterson, Michael Pettersson
  • Leanne Castley
  • Thomas Emerson

Check the official record

  • Minutes of Proceedings No 66, 16 September 2026, item 2

Find these on the Assembly’s chamber documents page. Wording is quoted from the Minutes, © ACT Legislative Assembly, CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Our reading is automatic and may contain errors; agreeing to a motion is not the same as doing what it asks. Report a problem

A motion to censure the Minister for City and Government Services · Public Matter