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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2002 Week 14 Hansard (12 December) . . Page.. 4396 ..

MR SMYTH: I move:

That the report be authorised for publication.

Question resolved in the affirmative.

MR SMYTH: I move:

That the report be noted.

Mr Speaker, this is a report from the Public Accounts Committee into the work of the Auditor-General concerning moving CTEC to the Brindabella Business Park. Two areas of concern were examined: the perception of, or the occurrence of, a conflict of interest, and the use of sustainability in audits by the Auditor-General. The report concludes, as did the Auditor-General, that there was no conflict of interest in the move to the Brindabella Business Park, but it does raise a matter we should always be aware of, the potential for a conflict of interest.

I think it is important, particularly as the perception of the conflict of interest arose out of words that were used in this place, that this be a reminder to all MLAs that we have to be careful of how we raise things and where we raise them. Notwithstanding that, it is of course the right of MLAs to use this place to raise their concerns. The committee believes that all organisations should pay greater heed to making sure that they do follow the procedures, and document those procedures, to avoid any such perception in the future.

The other matter was that the committee noted the government's initiatives in establishing the Office of Sustainability. We do hope that, in the future, sustainability issues will be given a greater priority in policy-making and so, therefore, will also feature far more prominently in the Auditor-General's reports.

Question resolved in the affirmative.

Statement by chair

MR SMYTH (Leader of the Opposition): Mr Speaker, pursuant to standing order 246A, the Standing Committee on Public Accounts has resolved that I make the following statement regarding the Auditor-General's Report No 6 of 2002, entitled Annual management report for the year ended 20 June 2002. I ask for leave to table the statement.

Leave granted.

MR SMYTH: I present the following paper:

Public Accounts-Standing Committee-Auditor-General's Report No 6 of 2002-Annual Management Report for the Year Ended 30 June 2002-Statement by Chair, dated 6 December 2002.

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