Page 1373 - Week 05 - Thursday, 18 June 2020

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Add:

“(4) notes that the March quarter financial reports were circulated on 15 May and tabled on 21 May;

(5) notes that tomorrow, the ACT Government will publish on the ACT Treasury website initiative descriptions of the measures implemented as part of our Economic Survival Plan and Economic Recovery Plan;

(6) notes that the Government is providing monthly reports to the Assembly on all COVID-19 measures;

(7) notes that the Government has announced that it will release an Economic and Fiscal Update by 27 August, including the June quarter and 2019-20 financial reports, and detailed economic and budget outlook;

(8) notes that, as per the usual process, the Under Treasurer will release a pre election budget update in September;

(9) notes that the September quarter financial reports will be prepared and available for government consideration and circulation by 19 November; and

(10) notes that all parties will be consulted if there are any changes to these reporting points or any further alternative fiscal processes are required.”.

The amendment speaks for itself. It shows the transparency of this government. I will leave it up to debate in the chamber.

MRS DUNNE (Ginninderra) (4.44): Madam Speaker, I am flabbergasted by the performance of the government here today. We have legislation that has already passed which puts in place the legal underpinning for what we are doing. But we need to have a feel-good motion about this as well, which really defies any particular usefulness. We have the government unprepared to come back in here and re-debate this after adjournment of debate. Then they come back and say that the proposal put forward to improve the motion by Ms Lawder is unacceptable, when it is essentially taking business as usual and putting it out into the public arena or, as point (5) calls for, consultation with the other parties in this place over things which may be doubtful at the margins.

What we are proposing to do is to continue to spend the money of the people of the ACT—not ACT Labor’s money; it is Canberrans’ money—without a fresh appropriation. The constraints on doing that are quite severe. If there are any variations to that it is unthinkable that they would be done without consultation across the board. That is what Ms Lawder’s motion essentially calls for: to publish your accounts every month, because you prepare them every month, and to consult.

Why is this so hard for this government? It is because this government is old, tired and arrogant and thinks that it can get away with anything because of the cosy arrangement it has with the Greens. The Greens, who have spent their time talking about third-party insurance, are not third-party insurers. They are joined hip and thigh with the Labor Party and do everything the Labor Party wants them to do. That is what this is about. It is about the coalition of majority that rides roughshod over the


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