Page 494 - Week 02 - Wednesday, 20 February 1991
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
MR JENSEN (12.00): It seems to me that Mr Moore, in bringing forward this motion today, needs to recall his participation in the two estimates committees that have examined the two Appropriation Bills brought down in the Assembly by Ms Follett and the current Chief Minister, Mr Kaine. Before moving on to the reasons why I consider that this matter is really one for an Estimates Committee, let me briefly comment on my own view about whether this proposal of Mr Moore's is appropriate for the Public Accounts Committee. The Public Accounts Committee looks at the accounts after the money has been spent; hence our interest in the Auditor-General's report, which has rightly been referred to that committee. The content of the first report from the Auditor-General will keep us busy for the rest of the year, when we add that reference to the issues currently before us. Very simply, that is my reason for arguing today that Mr Moore has picked the wrong committee to which to refer his concerns.
Mr Moore: The committee does not exist. There is no such thing as an estimates committee at the moment.
MR JENSEN: Let me continue. Mr Moore suggests that we have no such thing as an estimates committee. That is true. The Estimates Committee finishes when the report is finally produced. I suggest that, as in the Senate, a tradition is starting to build up within this Assembly in relation to the consideration of the estimates. The Government last year provided the reference and initiated the motion that formed the Estimates Committee when the Appropriation Bill was brought down. I am not quite sure what Mr Moore is concerned about. I suggest that there is no doubt that an Estimates Committee will be formed in accordance with the practices that have been developed in this Assembly in the past two years. That, I suggest, would put down Mr Moore's concern about there not being a committee to which this can be referred.
Mr Moore may recall a couple of the recommendations from the last Estimates Committee report, which as a member he helped to write. It seems to me that these two recommendations fall into the category we are talking about today. I am referring to the two recommendations on page 18 that flowed from the discussions in paragraphs 4.11 to 4.14 and 4.16 of this year's Estimates Committee report. This was in relation to the suggested approach to be taken by future estimates committees. I will read the two recommendations to refresh Mr Moore's memory:
future Estimates Committees consider selecting at least two areas service wide for detailed examination each year.
future Estimates Committees consider selecting one sub-program in each portfolio for detailed examination each year.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .