Page 491 - Week 02 - Wednesday, 20 February 1991

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positively managing our budget, in the same way as we managed Ms Follett's budget, to get the best result and to try to get a better than expected performance in actual expenditure while getting the job done.

I do not quite understand the second point of Mr Moore's motion. Budgets are, in fact, estimates. That is what they are. They are only estimates, and those estimates, on a program by program basis across the whole budget, are set out in the budget papers, particularly papers 4 and 5. The Estimates Committee spent a considerable amount of time examining those estimates last year. I personally spent a good deal of time answering questions of the Estimates Committee and subjecting myself and my officers to the closest of scrutiny. In asserting now that there is something funny in the books, I think Mr Moore does himself an injustice. What he is saying is that he did not do a good job as a member of the Estimates Committee, if that is true. I do not believe that any member of the Estimates Committee failed in his duty, any more than any officer of the ACT Treasury or any member of this Government failed in their duty in putting together a responsible budget.

The examination of estimates as opposed to actual accounts - and we need to make the distinction - does not fall within the terms of reference of the Public Accounts Committee. The estimates are the responsibility of the Estimates Committee. I think what Mr Moore is doing is asking the Public Accounts Committee to do what the Estimates Committee has already done. I do not know whether the Public Accounts Committee ought to be wasting their time and resources on such an exercise, unless there is ample reason to suggest that they should. In any case, I think it is outside their terms of reference.

If the Public Accounts Committee wants to take on such a reference they have all the powers to do so now. They do not need this motion to do it. I remind Mr Moore of the terms of reference of that committee. They are:

Examine -

(a) the accounts of the receipts and expenditure of the Australian Capital Territory Executive;

(b) the financial affairs of authorities of the Australian Capital Territory; and

That is to do with the actual performance of the budget. That is the Public Accounts Committee's role. The Estimates Committee's role is to do what you are suggesting, if it is necessary, having done it once already.

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