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budgets these days see no separation between those two things. Labor's abysmal record under Ms Follett is that, every year, there was a budget deficit. That ranged from $31m in 1991-92 to $40m in 1993-94 and an estimated $65m this year. So, the facts are that the former Treasurer's record is certainly nothing to be proud of. It proves what the community decided in February - that Labor cannot manage money.

Revised Administrative Arrangements

MR BERRY: My question is to Mrs Carnell in her capacity as Chief Minister. I, too, refer to the statement to this Assembly yesterday on revised Administrative Arrangements. Mrs Carnell quoted from the bucket of rhetoric. There was probably a really, hugely important - - -

MR SPEAKER: Mr Berry, can we do without the trailer. Let us have the question.

MR BERRY: I know that they need protection, Mr Speaker.

MR SPEAKER: Let us have the main feature and do without the trailer. Ask the question.

MR BERRY: They need your protection, Mr Speaker, but I will get to it. She said:

The bottom line is that from 1 July 1995 we will have a much sharper and streamlined set of Administrative Arrangements.

The attachment to Mrs Carnell's statement showed that there will be two departments reporting to three Ministers, one department reporting to two Ministers and five departments reporting to only one Minister, counting the ACT Planning Authority and the Australian Federal Police as departments. The only change from the previous arrangements, save for the big bucket of rhetoric, is that the number of departments reporting to a single Minister has been reduced from six to five. What a joke!

Ms Follett: And the list goes on.

MR BERRY: And the list goes on.

Mr Kaine: That is better than increasing it, as you did.

MR SPEAKER: Order! Mr Berry has the floor.

MR BERRY: Mrs Carnell, against the background of saying, “The bottom line is that from 1 July 1995 we will have a much sharper and streamlined set of Administrative Arrangements” - honey off the tongue - can you explain to the community how this, in any way, improves the capacity of the ACT Government Service to provide better service to the community? And let us not go into the rhetoric bucket.

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