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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 5 Hansard (14 May) . . Page.. 1180 ..

MRS CARNELL: But you have given it already.

Mr Berry: No. I said no.

MRS CARNELL: I have been given leave.

MR SPEAKER: Order! You sought leave to present the Government response.

Mr Berry: And I said no.

Mr Kaine: No, you did not.

MR SPEAKER: No, you did not. Nobody said anything, as a matter of fact.

MRS CARNELL: And I got their leave to go.

Mr Berry: No, you did not.

MRS CARNELL: I did. He said, "Yes, go".

Mr Berry: Well, see how you go.

MR SPEAKER: Order! I am informed by the Clerk that we can overcome this problem because the Chief Minister does not need leave. Proceed, Chief Minister.

MRS CARNELL: Thank you. Mr Speaker, I present the Government's response to the Report of the Select Committee on Additional Estimates 1995-96.

Mr Berry: Mr Speaker, she does not have to have leave to table it, but she does have to have leave to speak.

MR SPEAKER: I am advised that, if the Chief Minister moves that the Assembly takes note of a paper, she can speak.

MRS CARNELL: I move:

That the Assembly takes note of the paper.

Mr Speaker, the committee's report made no recommendations but drew some conclusions - a somewhat unusual approach. I have to say that the conclusions made by the committee are disappointing, although I note that the committee did not take a unanimous view. The conclusions are particularly disappointing on the critical matter of principle. The principle at stake is the primacy of this Assembly. Each year this Assembly passes an appropriation Bill allowing the government of the day to implement its budget decisions. The Government believes that, when a major adjustment is made to the budget, that too should go to the Assembly for approval. It is the Assembly which passes the appropriation and it is therefore logical that the approval of the Assembly should be required for major adjustments to that appropriation. When we were in opposition we

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