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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 13 Hansard (2 December) . . Page.. 4385 ..

MR WHITECROSS (continuing):

Only in that way can we be confident that we have both an appropriate level of accountability and a piece of legislation which ensures that when governments go to elections they go to elections with their budgets having been properly scrutinised in advance.

It seems to me that this advances a debate which has been going on for a number of years about the timing of budgets. It also ensures that the change to our electoral cycle to which the parliament has agreed does not lead to unforeseen consequences in terms of accountability within the budget process. Mr Speaker, I believe that it is an entirely meritorious proposal that Mr Berry is proposing. It is a shame, really, that these matters were not dealt with in a more considered way when the electoral legislation was before us, because that would have allowed for these matters to be resolved more appropriately, without wasting the time of Assembly members now. It cannot be doubted that the situation would be completely unworkable if we did not amend the Financial Management Act to ensure that elections could not be held immediately after a budget was brought down.

I think it would be inappropriate for us, in the closing days of the Third Assembly, not to ensure that this very important matter was remedied, so that when we hand over custody of the laws of the ACT to the Fourth Assembly we will be in a position to know that the laws are in good order and there is no unfinished business. If we allow unfinished business to be passed on to the Fourth Assembly, we will get ourselves into a situation where things can slip through the cracks and we may not get the result that we desire. Mr Speaker, I cannot help thinking at this juncture that - - -

Mrs Carnell: That you had better get the slides out. You can sit down and I will stand up, because I want to speak again.

MR WHITECROSS: Okay. My task as a speaker would have been greatly aided by a few more interjections, Mr Speaker. I feel rather aggrieved by your insistence on stamping on interjections, because it would have taken up some very important time of the Assembly. The Treasurer has indicated a willingness to speak again, and I am only too happy to listen to her. If, after she has spoken, I have anything further to contribute, I will speak again.

MRS CARNELL (Chief Minister and Treasurer) (10.56): We have often said in this place that amendments of this magnitude on the run are not such a great idea. I understood that those opposite had been very critical of the ACT Government for bringing down our budget last year before the Commonwealth. In fact, even the Estimates Committee may have been less than complimentary along those lines. Are those opposite now suggesting that, legislatively, we bring down our budget before the Commonwealth every year? There is no legislative requirement for the Commonwealth to bring down their budget before 30 June.

It is a good idea to have a bit of consistency here. I believe that the current FMA does the appropriate thing. All sides of politics have indicated that, wherever possible, we should bring down the budget before the end of the financial year. Certainly, it is our view that we should pass it before the end of the financial year, wherever possible.

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