Page 2152 - Week 08 - Tuesday, 28 August 2007

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Appropriation Bill 2007-2008

[Cognate paper:
Estimates 2007-2008—Select Committee report—government response]

Debate resumed from 7 June 2007.

Detail stage

MR SPEAKER: I understand it is the wish of the Assembly to debate this bill cognately with the government’s response to the report of the Select Committee on Estimates 2007-2008. We just passed a resolution in relation to that matter. That being the case, I remind members that in debating order of the day No 1, executive business, they may also address their remarks to the government response to the estimates report.

Standing order 180 sets down the order in which this bill will be considered. That is, in the detail stage, any schedule expressing the services for which the appropriation is to be made must be considered before the clauses and, unless the Assembly otherwise orders, the schedules will be considered by proposed expenditure in the order shown. With the concurrence of the Assembly, I am proposing that the Assembly consider schedule 1 by each part consisting of net cost of outputs, capital injection and payments on behalf of the territory. Is this the wish of the Assembly? That being the case, schedule 1 will be considered by each part, consisting of net cost of outputs, capital injection and payments on behalf of the territory, then the clauses prior to schedule 2 and the title.

Schedule 1—Appropriations.

Proposed expenditure—Part 1.1—Legislative Assembly Secretariat, $5,764,000 (net cost of outputs), $449,000 (capital injection) and $4,639,000 (payments on behalf of the territory), totalling $10,852,000.

MR MULCAHY (Molonglo) (11.09): I have just a few comments in relation to the appropriation of this $10.852 million for the Assembly Secretariat. It always disappoints me that the very first thing we debate in this budget process is about our own world here in the Assembly. I think it tends to reinforce the notion out there that self-interest is the great motivator in this place. Anyway, that is the custom and practice and we roll with it. At times I have made more comment and less comment, depending on the year, about the efficiency and the operations of the Assembly. I want to visit a few of those issues today because I have a view—and I do not really keep it to myself—that I do not think the ACT Legislative Assembly is in any way a model or an example of a contemporary legislature of the standard that it could be. I have said in this place previously that a legislature comprising of just 17 members could be a world leader in the way in which it tackles things, the use of technology and the like.

Since I have been in this place I have been amazed at the way in which everything is tackled here. I am told it is driven by the fact that not enough money is made available,


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