Page 336 - Week 02 - Tuesday, 9 February 2021
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Budget 2020-21—Financial Management Act—Pursuant to section 20AC—
Appropriation (Office of the Legislative Assembly) Bill 2020-2021—Departure from Recommended Appropriations—Statement of Reasons.
Title read by Clerk.
MR BARR (Kurrajong—Chief Minister, Treasurer, Minister for Climate Action, Minister for Economic Development and Minister for Tourism) (3.23): I move:
That this bill be agreed to in principle.
I present the Appropriation (Office of the Legislative Assembly) Bill 2020-2021 to the Assembly. The bill is straightforward. It contains appropriations of $21.983 million to the Office of the Legislative Assembly, $3.546 million to the Auditor-General, $5.227 million to the ACT Integrity Commissioner, and $13.664 million to the Electoral Commissioner.
The amount in the bill appropriated to the Office of the Legislative Assembly is a departure, Madam Speaker, from the amount that you requested. I provide the following statement of reasons regarding this departure, as is required under section 20AA of the Financial Management Act 1996. Budgeting in action, colleagues!
The Speaker recommended recurrent funding to permanently fill the position of an assistant technical officer that was established in 2019-20 on a temporary basis. As there has not been a reduction in funding from 2019-20 to 2020-21, the government considers it is appropriate for the Office of the Legislative Assembly to maintain the assistant technical officer position from within existing resources. Harsh but fair.
I commend the bill to the Assembly.
Debate (on motion by Ms Lee) adjourned to the next sitting.
Adjournment
Motion (by Mr Gentleman) proposed:
That the Assembly do now adjourn.
Parking—Cooleman Court
Migrant and Refugee Settlement Services
MRS JONES (Murrumbidgee) (3.25): On 4 February 2021 the ACT government finally backed down on its plans to develop Coolo Park into a car park. The community, supported by the Canberra Liberals, have been fighting hard to protect this necessary green space. It is disappointing that it took the ACT government this long to listen and new Minister Davidson to force the issue on the inside. A subsequent appeal to ACAT was also pursued and other representations that the car park did not have community support.
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