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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 12 Hansard (12 November) . . Page.. 3985 ..

MS TUCKER (continuing):

The Government's budget model based on outcomes and outputs, which one would believe should include comprehensive qualitative and quantitative targets with respect to social policy in the ACT, has also been seen to be lacking. I hear Mrs Carnell acknowledging that. I guess this Government and other governments around Australia have moved to the outcomes and outputs model without having really done the work. I have criticised governments for this consistently over the last three years, but I am glad to see that at last real work is being done. I acknowledge the Quality of Life project, which is the result of a Government and ACTCOSS partnership working towards determining what we as a society think matters. From that work we will see indicators developed. These amendments are somewhat of a compromise on our part, but we are happy to make that compromise and we are very pleased to have the support of members to start on this approach. It is a sensible approach. I think members need to differentiate between performance audits and financial audits. The Auditor-General's annual report explains the difference as follows:

A Performance Audit is:

"an independent systematic examination of all or a part of an entity's programs, operations or activities to assess economy, efficiency and/or effectiveness. Audits are carried out for the purpose of examining and reporting on matters related to any or all of the following:

a) the adequacy of management systems, controls and practices related to economy, efficiency and effectiveness of operations;

b) the extent to which resources have been managed with due regard to economy and efficiency;

c) the extent to which programs, operations or activities of an entity have been effective; and

d) the degree to which the entity has complied with legislation, regulations or directions related to its activities".

As such, performance audits include much descriptive and subjective analysis. As I have said, I have worked with the Auditor-General, so this should be a workable document and something that we will be able to review and improve in the next Assembly. I look forward to having the opportunity to do that.

MRS CARNELL (Chief Minister) (11.04): Mr Speaker, we will be supporting these amendments. The amendments came forward as a result of a cooperative approach, which, as many members of this place have indicated, usually ends up with significantly better outcomes than the adversarial approach that we take probably too often. The importance of this Bill should not be underestimated. From my perspective, coming from the financial side of management but having an acute awareness of the importance of the environment, I believe that it gives a sense of two different debates that probably should never have been different debates coming together under a common framework.

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