Page 1526 - Week 05 - Thursday, 18 April 1991
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government. Quite clearly, the Federal Government of the day put that in the too-hard basket or deliberately ignored it - I am not quite sure which. I have my own feelings about that and maybe I would tend towards the second view.
I think, as Ms Follett says, that we must continue to press harder and harder for a better inter-government relationship between the people of the ACT and the Federal Government so that the issue of financial arrangements and transitional arrangements for the ACT can be satisfactorily resolved to the total benefit of the people of the ACT. I think that this report recognises that and that it supports statements along these lines that have been made over a number of years since self-government was put to the people of the ACT. In general terms I would support the remarks of the Leader of the Opposition, the chairman of the committee, with the exceptions that I have indicated, and commend the report to the Assembly.
MS MAHER (11.56): Mr Speaker, I also would like to thank Karin Malmberg, the committee's secretary, for the work that she has done, and all other staff who have been involved, as well as those who came before the committee. I agree with most of the comments that the chairman of the committee, Ms Follett, made, except those with regard to the comparison between the Priorities Review Board report and the Else-Mitchell report. I agree with the comments made by Mr Jensen in that respect.
Mr Speaker, this inquiry was initiated by the current Chief Minister, Mr Kaine, in 1989 when he was Leader of the Opposition. The inquiry received unanimous support from the Assembly and has proved to be a worthwhile exercise.
Justice Else-Mitchell, in his report, clearly identified a number of issues relating to the assets and public debt of the ACT which, prior to his inquiry, were hidden and unknown. Like Ms Follett and Mr Jensen, I would like to commend the committee for their work. The Else-Mitchell report made a number of important and far-reaching recommendations. The PAC committee, in its examination of the report, has endorsed many of those recommendations and has made further recommendations which, if implemented, will lead to the ACT finances being placed on a much sounder footing. Mr Speaker, I support the recommendations of the committee and I commend the report to the Assembly.
Mr Kaine: Mr Speaker, I would like some clarification. I understood the chairman of the committee to say that she was tabling both the report and an extract from the transcript of evidence.
Ms Follett: Extracts from the minutes.
Debate (on motion by Mr Kaine) adjourned.
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