Page 3336 - Week 12 - Tuesday, 18 September 1990
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Mr Humphries: It sounds like "Terrynomics" to me.
MR CONNOLLY: Well, the figures are indeed accurate, Mr Humphries. It is difficult to look at these figures and make any sense of them in terms of a critique of the Government stewardship because, of course, the major distortion in these figures is that, whereas last year the Territory was constrained in its control over these areas of expenditure, because we had no control over the Magistrates Court or policing, in this budget period the Territory assumes for the first time control over policing, which means that the law and order expenditure has gone from zero to some $54m. This area, a most important area of public expenditure, is one about which in this budget we are in no position to offer a critique of the Government's actions. That $54m is, of course, fully funded by Commonwealth grant and it means that for this budgetary period we are merely spending the money that the Commonwealth has given us for policing.
The Opposition's critique will, in fact, come far more clearly next year when the Territory faces for the first time the challenge of running its own budget to fund its own police force. We have repeatedly made references to the difficulties that this will present to the Territory, and I hope that we, as members of this Assembly, have full opportunity to make an input into that decision before it is announced in next year's budget. Similarly, in the area of the administration of justice, expenditure has increased from some $615,000 to over $5m, again because of the transition of the Magistrate's Court to local responsibility. So, while on one view the law and justice area of Government responsibility has shown dramatic increases in this year's budget, they are an artificial increase reflecting the assumption of new functions by this Territory and it will really only be when we look at successive budgets that we are able to offer an effective critique of the way those moneys are being applied.
It is pleasing personally, as well as as a socialist party, to see that the legal service to government, the Government Law Office, is being maintained and increased in real terms. I trust that the figures that are apparent in this budget document will, in fact, reflect a real increase other than that which is necessary to cover the increase in responsibilities. The services of the Government Law Office to government are fundamental and it is hoped that this increased allowance will not just cover the increased responsibilities but will allow that law office to increase its efficient delivery of services to government.
Of particular note there, I would congratulate the Attorney for the initiative to provide electronic publishing of legislation. It is extraordinarily difficult for persons in this Territory to find out what the law is at any given date. There is no access even to a paste-up set of statutes of this Territory, Acts and Ordinances, even
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