Page 2077 - Week 07 - Tuesday, 28 May 1991
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those threats being carried out, but I can certainly recall some threats being made. So, I think that is a bit of a holier-than-thou attitude there. Who knows what this Opposition would do if, in fact, it had the numbers. This Bill, the Supply Bill of 1991-92, is, in fact, an interim Bill. It is a matter - - -
Mr Wood: It is hardly applicable in a single chamber house.
MR STEFANIAK: Indeed, it is a single chamber house, Mr Wood. You do not have the numbers, so we really will not know. It is all hypothetical. This Bill is a matter of routine. It is in the nature of a housekeeping task. It is necessary because the annual appropriation system focuses around the annual budget presentation in August this year, well after the commencement of the financial year on 1 July. This Bill provides for the funds to be issued to meet expenditure arising in the first five months of the new financial year. As a general rule, the proposed expenditure represents about five-twelfths of the current forward estimates for 1991-92. That is adjusted for one-off payments falling due in the supply period.
This year's budget, the 1991-92 budget, will be presented to the Assembly in August, and will include the presentation of the Appropriation Bill 1991-92, this being the legislative mechanism for giving effect to the expenditure policies of the Government. Time to debate the Bill and have the Estimates Committee examine the proposals is required, of course. It is therefore expected that the Appropriation Bill will not be passed until October or, indeed, November. The Supply Bill will then, of course, lapse.
No new initiatives have been presumed in the estimates contained in this Supply Bill before the house. These, of course, will be addressed in the formulation of the 1991-92 budget, and will be presented to the Assembly in that context. Any unforeseen matters arising during the supply period can be accounted for by the use of the Treasurer's Advance. An amount of $12m has been provided for that advance, which includes an amount of $2m for redundancy packages which will be carried over from 1990-91. The Audit Act prescribes the conditions for the use of this advance.
It always amazes me, Mr Speaker, to hear people in the Labor Party, and perhaps Ms Follett in particular, talk about what is wrong with this Government - where we have gone off the rails financially. I think the facts are abundantly clear in relation to financial mismanagement by governments, Mr Speaker. One only has to look at South Australia, Victoria and Western Australia to see what Labor governments have done to those States. And despite the election - - -
Mr Kaine: You missed Tasmania.
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