Page 3467 - Week 13 - Wednesday, 25 November 1992
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you look after the pennies the pounds will look after themselves. The committee needs to be assured that these categories of expenditure do not become repositories where departments hive off smaller amounts of expenditure, knowing that they will not be examined in detail by future estimates committees.
The Government has acknowledged the committee's concerns about the use of the terms "consultants", "contractors" and "advisers". However, I do not believe that the Government should set an appropriate dollar threshold below which details will not have to be provided. All consultancies or contract work taken on outside of the ACT Government Service must be justifiable because it must be substantiated that ACT Government Service officers cannot themselves do the work involved.
The Government has agreed in part to the committee's recommendation regarding comparisons between budget estimates and actual expenditure for the previous year plus comparisons of the previous year with the current year's estimates on a subprogram basis. I agree that there are times when this information will be difficult to gather, due to structural changes within departments.
Debate interrupted.
ADJOURNMENT
MADAM SPEAKER: Order! It being 4.30 pm, I propose the question:
That the Assembly do now adjourn.
Ms Follett: I require the question to be put forthwith without debate.
Question resolved in the negative.
APPROPRIATION BILL 1992-93
[COGNATE PAPER:
ESTIMATES - SELECT COMMITTEE - REPORT ON THE APPROPRIATION BILL 1992-93 - GOVERNMENT RESPONSE]
Detail Stage
Debate resumed.
MS SZUTY: However, it is no more detailed information than many companies and community organisations have to compile now to monitor and justify their operations. It needs to be remembered that we are dealing here with the moneys of the citizens of the Australian Capital Territory and that the accounting practices of ACT government departments need to be at their most rigorous.
In response to recommendation No. 5 about budget supplementation processes, the Government has spelt out in some detail its current practices, which the ACT Treasury also did during the Estimates Committee hearings. However, as the Estimates Committee recommended, the Public Accounts Committee of the
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