Page 2525 - Week 09 - Tuesday, 23 August 1994
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I certainly do not agree with the view expressed by the Liberal Party. To quote from Media Advisory dated 13 August 1994, "All party Committee slams Follett Labor Government"; further, "Opposition Leader Kate Carnell will deliver a speech at Deakin at midday today to comment upon the findings of a damning report by the Assembly's all-party Estimates Committee into the Follett Labor Government's mismanagement of Canberra"; and under "Event", "Speech by Opposition Leader Kate Carnell about the damning findings of the Estimates Committee report". (Extension of time granted) It may well be that there are few members of the Assembly who believe that the estimates committee process is not a political one and that my views are those of a very small minority. If that is the case, I will have to give careful consideration to whether it is appropriate for me to put my name forward as a candidate for the chairperson's role during the supplementary estimates process later in the year. By way of concluding remarks, let me say that I will listen carefully to what other members of the committee have to say about the committee process, the report and their assessment of the Government's performance. I will also pay close attention to the Government's response to the committee's report. I may well have more to say when the report and the Government's response are debated together with the Appropriation Bill on Thursday.
Finally, Madam Speaker, it would be remiss of me not to mention the outstanding work that has been done by two members of the Assembly Secretariat, Mr Bill Symington and Miss Sandra Shaw, who have provided assistance to the Estimates Committee. I would like to thank both of them very much indeed for working long hours, under considerable pressure, to enable this report to be compiled on time and delivered to you by 12 August. They can even read my handwriting, which is an accomplishment indeed. Madam Speaker, I commend the report of the Select Committee on Estimates on the Government's Appropriation Bill 1994-95 to the Assembly.
MADAM SPEAKER: Before I call anyone else, I wish to make a brief statement. I wish to inform the Assembly that I have noted the concern expressed by the Estimates Committee at the manner in which a witness responded to questioning by the committee. This incident suggests a need to look at the procedures for public hearings of Assembly committees to ensure that the rights and responsibilities of committees and witnesses appearing before them are properly understood. To this end, I have asked the Clerk to make arrangements with the head of the ACT administration to ensure that officials appearing before Assembly committees understand their obligations. I will also be writing to all members about a seminar which I propose to conduct on this matter.
MR KAINE (5.21): Madam Speaker, with the tabling of this report for debate, we are now coming to the end of one of the most important activities that this Assembly can engage in. It is one of the rare occasions when the Government is truly accountable for what it proposes to do. With the change in the budgetary arrangements, the second point at which the Government becomes accountable is later in the year, when, if the recommendations of this Estimates Committee are adopted, there will be a second Estimates Committee that will actually look at the performance of the Government last year. This is important, because Ministers and officials come before the committee and they are asked by the members of the committee to account for the information that has been put before us. In this case, they have been asked to account for the amounts of money which the Government has asked this Assembly to appropriate for its use over the next year.
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