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

Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 12 Hansard (21 November) . . Page.. 3962 ..

Mr Berry: Twenty-two million dollars down the drain. What a Treasurer!

MRS CARNELL: It is purely fact. Mr Speaker, Mr Berry continues to interject.

MR SPEAKER: I remind Mr Berry that interjections are out of order.

MRS CARNELL: Not only have we moved to a whole new system of financial management that is by far the most open and accountable in the country and winning praise from the accounting profession, but my senior management have also delivered, for the first time since self-government, completely unqualified accounts for the whole ACT Public Service. I think that is something that we should be congratulating our senior public servants for, not somehow suggesting, as Mr Whitecross did, that they should be sacked.

MR KAINE: I ask a supplementary question. Chief Minister, you just mentioned that the accounts under the previous Labor Government were qualified each year by the Auditor-General. Can you provide details of what those qualifications were?

MRS CARNELL: Thank you, Mr Kaine. Mr Kaine, I suppose many here would know that, but there are a lot of new members here. To answer your question, in 1991-92 there were five qualifications, including qualifications for the accounts of Treasury. In 1992-93 there were 11 qualifications, including - wait for this - Treasury, Chief Minister's, Urban Services, Health, and Environment, Land and Planning. In 1993-94 there were six qualifications. The Auditor-General, in qualifying Treasury as usual, said in the qualified accounts for Treasury:

None of the officers involved with preparation of the 1993/94 Treasury financial statements have accounting qualifications.

None had accounting qualifications. He went on to say:

Treasury engaged a firm of private accountants to assist in the preparation of these statements.

That was under those opposite, who have criticised us for using consultants. This was the record of the previous Government. By contrast, in 1994-95 the accounts for Chief Minister's and Treasury were unqualified, and in 1995-96 there were no qualifications at all in the whole of the ACT government service. I think that is a clear demonstration that senior managers within the ACT Public Service are performing extremely well, that they are delivering on the reforms put in place by this Government and that the community can be assured that accounting standards are improving.

Mr Berry: Just grabbing luxury cars at will, changing cars - - -

MRS CARNELL: Mr Speaker, Mr Berry again interjects, about a particular senior public servant. I think that is terribly inappropriate.

MR SPEAKER: Interjections are out of order, I remind all members.

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