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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 6 Hansard (23 May) . . Page.. 1721 ..

MR MOORE (continuing):

we could enhance openness in the financial management of the Territory through implementing a system of accrual accounting. A recommendation came accordingly. In many ways I see this legislation as part of the process of implementing that and implementing an openness about what happens with our financial situation.

In introducing this legislation, the Chief Minister recognised that there have indeed been problems with getting to this point and the sorts of things that she has attempted to achieve. One of the most obvious examples is that for two years in a row we have not had a budget by mid-year and have had to go through a supply situation and then a budget situation. This legislation, on my reading of it, handles that in a slightly different way, although conceptually the same, I guess. It seems to me that, in spite of the answer that the Chief Minister gave to my question yesterday on this matter of a mid-year budget, it was possible to draw up a mid-year budget - I still believe that to be the case - and to make some reasonable estimates about what we are likely to get from the Federal Government, just the same as we make reasonable estimates about what is likely to come from other sources of revenue. According to the media recently, our revenue is not going according to estimates. In fact, it rarely has. In this case, of course, it is in a negative way, although previous governments that did not overestimate revenue were fortunate that further revenue came in, for a whole series of different and perhaps unforeseeable reasons. I believe that we could have gone through a process of ensuring a mid-year budget.

Mr Speaker, in looking at this legislation I have also looked at the amendments that are foreshadowed by Mr Whitecross and Ms Tucker. I believe that some of them will enhance the legislation. I particularly think that will be the case with reference to material to be laid before the Assembly, as Mr Whitecross has suggested, and making the guidelines for financial management a disallowable instrument, as Ms Tucker's amendment proposes. We will come back to the detail at the detail stage of the Bill.

The point Mr Whitecross made about this legislation in no way being a magic wand is a very important point to be made. The role of government is about service. One of the things I find quite distressing is the emphasis we have had over the last few years on budgeting, on accounting and on dry economics, when really we should have been giving far greater emphasis to how we deliver service right across the community, how we can improve services and how we can ensure that those of us who have the wherewithal are contributing in such a way that we can assist those who need assistance in a whole range of areas. That is what social justice is about and that is the role of government in using its taxation ability adequately.

Mr Whitecross gave us a whole list of things this financial management legislation will not do, but I think that what it should do and what it is intended to do is to take the next step in ensuring openness of the system in the ACT. Having watched how previous governments have worked towards openness, I believe that we have been quite effective in a whole series of ways. Having seen some of the budget papers and some of the budget material in other parliaments, I think we have already made huge steps. This is another step along the way, and that is why I think it is important that support for this legislation should come from across the Assembly.

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