Page 2090 - Week 06 - Tuesday, 22 June 2010

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However, DECCEW has committed to include fast growing screening plants as part of the landscaping of the site to reduce the visual impact of the depot.

Horticulture staff commence work at 7.00 am and undertake to comply with the Noise Environment Protection Policy 2010.

The contractor has been reminded of these policies and instructed that the heavy vehicles garaged at the depot are to utilise Hawdon Street instead of travelling along Dumaresq Street to minimise impacts on local residents.

Illegally dumped waste, ie, household furniture, is temporarily stored at the depot until the quantity reaches a volume to fill a truck. It is then removed from the depot to recycling or landfill. It is anticipated that screen plantings will help to alleviate residents concern in this regard.

Estimates 2010-2011—Select Committee

Report

MS HUNTER (Ginninderra—Parliamentary Convenor, ACT Greens) (10.03): Pursuant to order, I present the following report:

Estimates 2010-2011—Select Committee—Report—Appropriation Bill 2010-2011 -(2 volumes), dated 22 June 2010, including a dissenting report (Mr Seselja, Mr Smyth), together with a copy of the relevant minutes of proceedings and answers to questions on notice and questions taken on notice.

I move:

That the report be noted.

The estimates committee process has become a central feature of the annual parliamentary process. Every year as the budget grows, there is more to review and analyse but only the same amount of time to do it in. It follows, therefore, that we need to improve the efficiency of the inquiry process and ensure that time is well spent on the most significant issues. The reporting cannot grow in volume as the budget does, and we need to be mindful of this. The more important point is, of course, to identify the contentious issues and provide an analysis of them.

This year, the committee attempted to improve the efficiency of the process. We created surveys for community groups, to hopefully encourage concise statements of issues for the committee to work with. We set a schedule to ensure that each output class was given time for questioning, to ensure that no part of the budget went unquestioned. We adopted a new style of report, one which is consistent with almost all other jurisdictions, to ensure that all the important issues raised in the hearings were recorded and review facilitated.

The result is a comprehensive report that provides a quick reference guide to the many issues raised, with full reference to the transcript of evidence and reference to relevant questions taken on notice included for further reading. In addition to this, particularly significant issues that the committee has a view on for improvement and that the committee thought warranted further discussion have had a more detailed analysis and the reasons for the committee’s views are clear.


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