Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .

Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 12 Hansard (19 November) . . Page.. 3722 ..

MR SPEAKER: Mr Berry, ask your question.

Mr De Domenico: It hurts, does it not?

MR BERRY: No, not at all. You are the one who blundered. I know that Mrs Carnell is used to losing much more than $485,000, but I wonder whether she could explain how the department can lose $485,000 worth of assets.

MRS CARNELL: Mr Speaker, I make the point again that this supposed report that those opposite are talking about has not been presented to government. It has not been tabled in this place. It is very hard to make comments on a report that I have not seen and this Assembly has not seen. If those opposite would table the report, it would make it significantly easier to answer questions about it. They might be talking about a draft report that has not been finished yet and has not yet had comments from Chief Minister's included in it. By the way, it has not been seen by the Government at all. Those opposite who can remember being in government will know that Auditor-General's reports in draft form, before they have comments from anybody or from the host department, are often very different - - -

Mr Berry: Mr Speaker, I told her she could not handle it unless it was in millions.

MR SPEAKER: Sit down, Mr Berry. There is no point of order.

MRS CARNELL: They are often very different from the final reports. Those opposite might like to table the draft report. Then we can all have a look at it. I can certainly state that the Government has not seen it. The Government would never see draft reports from the Auditor-General.

MR SPEAKER: Do you have a supplementary question, Mr Berry?

MR BERRY: Indeed I do, Mr Speaker. I know that Mrs Carnell is having trouble finding anything that is not in millions. This is only hundreds of thousands of dollars, I know; but I wonder whether she would take the time to tell us what her department is doing to try to identify where these assets worth nearly half a million dollars - I know it is small feed for Mrs Carnell - have gone and to ensure that further publicly-owned assets do not go missing in the same way as the millions we have had to take notice of before.

MRS CARNELL: Mr Speaker, I will ask you for a ruling on this. For the Opposition to ask questions on a report that is not public, that has not been seen by government and that they have not tabled in this place makes it impossible. As those opposite would know, draft reports of the Auditor-General never go beyond the Auditor-General, or the department or the entity on which he is reporting. It would be grossly improper for that to be the case. They simply do not go to government until they are in the final stage. Mr Speaker, I ask for a ruling on whether these questions should be allowed to go ahead under the circumstances.

MR SPEAKER: The Chair is not aware of whether the matter has come before the house or in fact whether it is public. I think, Chief Minister, you have already answered your own question on that matter.

Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .