Page 3328 - Week 13 - Tuesday, 24 November 1992
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
The Government believes that it is inappropriate, in terms of justification and cost, to provide the level of breakdown in non-salary running costs sought by the committee for all items over $50,000, particularly in the context of materiality in a budget of over $1.3 billion. I believe the current level of expenditure detail provided in both the budget papers and the explanatory notes to be adequate for both control and review purposes. This does not preclude additional information being sought by and provided to the committee where the published information proves to be insufficient for specific purposes.
The issue of budget supplementation is treated very seriously by the Treasury and the Government. This is kept under constant review, to ensure equitable treatment of all programs. The Assembly has made a reference to the Public Accounts Committee on this matter and it can be assured of the Government's full cooperation. The Government will review the program and subprogram structure as suggested by the committee and is making considerable investment in improvements to the collection of staffing information. I also appreciate the priority which the committee acknowledges should be given to staff training.
In relation to the committee's recommendation for a review of the adoption unit, the Government does not believe that this would be appropriate at this time, particularly as the new adoption legislation now before the Assembly will impact significantly on the unit's workload and procedures. The committee has also made recommendations relating to your travel, Madam Speaker. These are matters which are determined by the Assembly itself and I believe that you have adequately responded to the committee.
Madam Speaker, the committee has expressed some concerns in relation to the provision of information by Ministers. I would like to stress the Government's commitment to the Estimates Committee process as an effective means of providing proper scrutiny of the budget process. I refute categorically any suggestion that any Minister was unhelpful in this process. I note in this regard that it is on the committee's record that the Minister for Health was able to provide responses to questions on notice within one-and-a-half days, well within the three working days timeframe set by the committee.
I am pleased that the Government is able to respond positively to most of the recommendations made. The Government's commitment to continuing improvement in public sector efficiency, to employment initiatives during a period of recession, to a careful and considered approach to urban renewal and to ensuring that the ACT is not encumbered with unnecessary debt, places the ACT in a financially strong position in 1992-93. These benefits will flow on into future years during the period of continued cutbacks in Commonwealth funding.
Madam Speaker, I commend the Government's response to the report of the 1992-93 Estimates Committee and I table my statement. I move:
That the Assembly takes note of the papers.
Motion (by Mr Kaine) agreed to:
That the debate be adjourned and the resumption of the debate be made an order of the day to be debated cognately with the resumption of the debate on the order of the day for the consideration of the Appropriation Bill 1992-93.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .