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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1995 Week 7 Hansard (18 October) . . Page.. 1811 ..

MR STEFANIAK: Actually, Mr Wood, I do not have those figures, but I think you might find that the waiting list is not so long now. Mr Wood, I seem to recall earlier today going through a report from when you lot were in government. I still remember the figure of 21 in the integration program. I believe that it is now 27. With another four places which we have made available in the budget, it is an increasing program. That is the integration program. There are also a number of children with special needs not in that program but in general mainstream schools. There are also the special schools. One thing I have done which you certainly did not do as the Minister is get the parents together and get the various organisations together to talk to the department so that they can bring up any problems and concerns in relation to integration and special needs. This Government sees it as a very important area.

Mr Wood: And the result presumably was to reduce the number of students going through the integration program.

MR STEFANIAK: We increased it by four. That is not a reduction. You must not have been a maths teacher.

Mrs Carnell: I ask that all further questions be placed on the notice paper.

MRS CARNELL (Chief Minister and Treasurer) (3.20): Mr Speaker, for the information of members, I present the Government's response to the Standing Committee on Public Accounts Report No. 1 entitled "Review of Auditor-General's Report No. 8, 1994 - Financial Audits with Years Ending to 30 June 1994". I move:

That the Assembly takes note of the paper.

Mr Speaker, in May 1995 the Standing Committee on Public Accounts presented to the Assembly its Report No. 1. The Public Accounts Committee's report covers the Auditor-General's Report No. 8 of 1994, "Financial Audits with Years Ending to 30 June 1994". The Government has given careful consideration to each of the recommendations of both the Auditor-General and the Public Accounts Committee, and I will respond to each of these in turn.

First, there is a need to increase qualified and experienced accounting resources in the ACT Government Service. Mr Speaker, in order to increase the accounting skills of the staff in the ACT Government Service, the Office of Financial Management provides financial management training. Officers from a range of agencies have attended courses designed to increase their skills in accrual accounting and financial management. Short courses on key public sector accounting issues such as credit card use have also been provided. These training courses are also supported by the Studybank program, which assists officers in increasing their formal qualifications.

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