Page 1747 - Week 05 - Thursday, 2 April 2009
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(3) a non-Government member shall be elected chair of the Committee by the Committee;
(4) the Government second two ACT public servants to the Committee Office to assist in analysing the 2009-10 ACT Budget and in preparing the report of the Committee;
(5) the Committee is to report by 16 June 2009;
(6) if the Assembly is not sitting when the Committee has completed its inquiry, the Committee may send its report to the Speaker or, in the absence of the Speaker, to the Deputy Speaker, who is authorised to give directions for its printing, publishing and circulation; and
(7) the foregoing provisions of this resolution, so far as they are inconsistent with the standing orders, have effect notwithstanding anything contained in the standing orders.
This is the standard motion that we move at about this time of year every year to establish a committee to inquire into the budget which will be delivered in May. We are suggesting that this time the committee should be comprised of a member from the government, two from the opposition and two from the Greens, and that a non-government member shall be elected as the chair.
Paragraph (4) was put there to give extra resources to the committee office and the committee itself. It is a very busy time to examine the budget documents and report within the time frames, and there is the understanding that there was agreement that we could second public servants to do this work, as has happened before in other committees. There was some concern about how it would work, so I will shortly move an amendment that will remove that paragraph (4) and replace it with words to the effect that funds be provided to give the committee adequate resources to do their job properly. In effect, it will involve maybe a temporary parliamentary budget officer or a consultant to do some work.
The committee is to report by 16 June so that the Assembly can get on with the business of debating the budget and making sure that the people of Canberra get looked after in the way that they should. Paragraphs (6) and (7) are standard paragraphs about reporting and the provisions of the proposed resolution. I seek leave to move the amendment that has been circulated in my name.
Leave granted.
MR SMYTH: I move:
(4) that funds be provided by the Assembly to permit the employment of additional staff for the engagement of external expertise to work with the Committee to facilitate the analysis of the Budget and the preparation of the report;”.
MR CORBELL (Molonglo—Attorney-General, Minister for the Environment, Climate Change and Water, Minister for Energy and Minister for Police and
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