Page 2367 - Week 11 - Thursday, 2 November 1989
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Thursday, 2 November 1989
_________________________
MR SPEAKER (Mr Prowse) took the chair at 10.30 am and read the prayer.
ESTIMATES COMMITTEE
Report
MR JENSEN (10.30): I present the report of the Estimates Committee on the Appropriation Bill 1989-90, dated 30 October 1989, together with copies of the minutes of proceedings of the committee. I move:
That the recommendations be agreed to.
On Tuesday, 26 September 1989, the Treasurer presented the 1989 budget, and the following Thursday the Legislative Assembly established an Estimates Committee to examine the expenditure proposals contained in the Appropriation Bill. The committee was to report to the Assembly by 19 October 1989. It became very clear during the early deliberations of the Estimates Committee that that time scale would not be met for a number of reasons. This was mainly because of the requirement for the information that was to be provided as well as the work required to be completed by the staff. The reporting date was later extended until 2 November 1989, and I thank the house for approving that extension.
The committee's terms of reference were to examine the expenditure contained in the Appropriation Bill 1989-90. We held five days of public hearings over the period 9-13 October 1989, and all 12 non-Government members spent some time participating in the discussions and the questioning process of the Estimates Committee. We examined the budget on a portfolio basis and, within that framework, program by program. The principal witness for each portfolio was the responsible Minister, who was supported by agency heads and other senior public servants as required. The exception was program 1 dealing with support to the ACT Legislative Assembly, where you, Mr Speaker, were the principal witness, although the program falls, as you know, within the Chief Minister's portfolio.
At this stage, I think it is appropriate to comment on the form of the report, particularly the attitude of the committee to the Government's budget. I believe Mr Kaine will follow on with this later in the debate. However, let me read into the record two very important principles of the report. They start at the bottom of page 1, for those who wish to follow them. They are:
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