Page 3990 - Week 13 - Tuesday, 23 November 1993
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In reaching agreement on the content of the report, the committee firstly considered each key issue highlighted and then considered the language and expression used to comment on each issue. The process has indeed worked well, although it is undoubtedly difficult to combine the work of 11 people into a cohesive whole. Forty recommendations have been made to government on the basis of this report, which represents about double the work done by last year's committee and is quite an achievement in itself, and not all of the issues highlighted resulted in direct recommendations being made. I will comment on key recommendations shortly, but not in detail, as I expect that many committee members will take the opportunity during this debate to comment on them.
Madam Speaker, as chairperson of the Select Committee on Estimates I wish to comment at length on the estimates process as I see it and on its strengths and weaknesses. Members will recall that the committee convened at an earlier time in the year than is usual, to enable members to give considerable thought and consideration to the issues that would be explored and to additional requests for information which would be able to be forwarded to agencies some weeks before the commencement of public hearings. Madam Speaker, I believe that convening the committee well ahead of the time for public hearings was indeed useful, as it enabled us to focus on the task ahead thoughtfully and with due consideration.
The terms of reference for the committee were amended by the Assembly on 26 August, on the motion of Mrs Carnell, to formally enable revenue estimates proposed by the Government in the 1993 budget to be considered by the committee. This has been a useful innovation. The next stage of the process, which marked the beginning of the period of intense activity for committee members, was the presentation of the Appropriation Bill 1993-94 and accompanying budget papers by the Chief Minister on Tuesday, 14 September 1993. Members were appreciative of the availability of Treasury officers on Friday to brief us on the presentation and format of the budget papers for this year. The committee has commented in its report, Madam Speaker, that too little time elapses between the time when agencies forward estimates papers, which include detailed information, and the commencement of public hearings. An extended time at this stage of the process, to allow for more comprehensive preparation for the hearings, is considered by the committee to be advantageous for future processes.
Eighty-three hours of public hearings were held between the commencement date of Wednesday, 22 September, and the concluding date of Friday, 8 October. Hours of public hearing were longer than in 1992 for several reasons. The committee requested to see four non-budget-dependent authorities - three for the first time in 1993, they being ACTTAB, the Milk Authority and the Construction Industry Long Service Leave Board. All members of the Opposition were available to attend public hearings this year and all took the opportunity to participate extensively in them. It certainly was not unusual for three to four members of the Opposition to be present during any one hearing and for two Government members to be present also. With the addition of Mr Moore, who attended almost all hearings, and me, it was therefore usual for seven to eight members of the Estimates Committee to be present at most public hearings. The presence of most committee members most of the time demonstrated the interest by committee members in most issues, and consequently extensive questions were asked.
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