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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 6 Hansard (19 June) . . Page.. 1819 ..

MR WHITECROSS (continuing):

during the conduct of financial audits. The Auditor also took the opportunity to advise the current position with matters raised in the corresponding audit for 1995. The audit ranged over most agencies and the committee sought and received from the Chief Minister comments on the findings.

The committee's report deals with the more significant issues raised by the audit. These include: The continued use of expensive contract assistance for the preparation of annual financial statements and other financial management tasks; appointment of the Reserve Bank as the Government banker without calling tenders; payment for photocopier leases at about double the cost had the photocopiers been purchased; the level of unfunded superannuation liabilities having increased over the last three years and continuing to increase; weaknesses in controls over trust moneys in the Department of Health and Community Care; traffic and parking fines totalling $4.1m outstanding for more than 12 months; delay by the Department of Urban Services in developing policies dealing with changes in accounting for values of infrastructure assets; the need for identification of strategies to maintain the financial viability of the Legal Aid Commission; and the continuing need for a reliable bond tracking system in the Office of Rental Bonds. The committee's recommendations focus upon most of these matters and require a response from the Government. I commend the committee's report to the Assembly.

Debate (on motion by Mr Humphries) adjourned.

QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE

MR MOORE: Mr Speaker, my question is directed to you. I refer to the article in the Canberra Times this morning in which Mr Osborne indicates that the Ngunnawal people will be invited to address the Assembly. Could you advise the Assembly as to who has been invited to address the Assembly? Is it to happen next Thursday? When issuing the invitation, was account taken of the different groups within the Ngunnawal people? Have you, Mr Speaker, ensured that the appearance at the Bar will be a positive step and not something which will cause unrest within the Ngunnawal people? Can you also advise the Assembly whether members of the community appearing at the Bar will be protected by privilege? What other administrative arrangements or guidelines are in place for this process? Under what standing orders are the members of the Ngunnawal community going to be treated? Will it be as witnesses, under the appropriate standing orders, around page 40, or under a different standing order because they have been invited rather than called?

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