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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 12 Hansard (20 November) . . Page.. 3914 ..

PUBLIC ACCOUNTS - STANDING COMMITTEE
Report on Review of Auditor-General's Report No. 7 of 1996

MR WOOD (4.41): Mr Speaker, I present Report No. 22 of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts entitled "Review of Auditor-General's Report No. 7, 1996 - Annual Management Report for the Year ended 30 June". I move:

That the report be noted.

The resolution of appointment of the Public Accounts Committee requires that it examine all reports of the Auditor-General which have been laid before the Assembly. The report in question was presented on 25 September 1996. The former Audit Act required that the Auditor-General provide a general report on efficiency audits conducted each year. There have been 14 of those and all have been reported back to this Assembly, save two. One relates to court fines, and that is still being acted upon; the other relates to sheep dips, which has been referred to the Planning and Environment Committee.

This is the last Audit Office management report under the Audit Act 1989. From 1 July 1996 the office has operated principally under the Auditor-General Act 1996. This Act establishes the independence of the office in several important areas. These include that the Public Accounts Committee have a role in the appointment of the Auditor-General; that the committee may have access to special reports containing sensitive information which is omitted from general audit reports; and that the committee advise the Treasurer of the appropriation for the Auditor-General and provide the Treasurer with a draft budget for that office. These are matters which will draw the committee much closer to the operations of the Auditor-General. I commend the report to the Assembly.

Question resolved in the affirmative.

EXECUTIVE BUSINESS - PRECEDENCE

MR HUMPHRIES (Attorney-General): Mr Speaker, pursuant to temporary order 77(d), I move:

That Executive business be called on.

Question resolved in the affirmative.

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