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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 13 Hansard (3 December) . . Page.. 4486 ..

MR WHITECROSS (continuing):

admissions, as well as separate data on renal dialysis admissions, be provided in a readily accessible form. Indeed, Mr Speaker, this may be being done already to a certain extent. The purpose of the recommendation is to put on record the committee's belief that this practice should continue.

The potential conflict of interest audit was a response to an approach by the board chair of a non-government organisation for a review of the award of a tender to a company which had a direct relationship with a board member. The organisation is a regular recipient of grants from the Department of Health and Community Care. The audit found that the contract arrangements were soundly evaluated and, while a potential conflict of interest existed for one board member, it did not affect the decision. Following its examination of the matter, the committee is satisfied with the audit finding.

The committee sought the Chief Minister's views on general issues raised by the audit and was advised that the service purchasing group and other agencies would be asked to incorporate in documents and training programs material dealing with conflict of interest and purchasing principles. In addition, the Chief Minister advised that appropriate guidelines would be developed for community activity grants and that conflict of interest issues would be incorporated into the guide for the incorporation of an association.

The committee commends the board chair's concern which precipitated the measures, which are intended to ensure that conflict of interest issues are understood by both government purchasing agencies and those organisations which provide services to government. The committee has recommended the development of general principles in regard to conflict of interest and purchasing practices for bodies which are grant recipients. I commend the report to the Assembly.

Question resolved in the affirmative.

MR WHITECROSS (5.51): I present Report No. 34 of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts, entitled "Review of Auditor-General's Report No. 11, 1997 - Annual Management Report for the year ended 30 June 1997", together with a copy of the extracts of the minutes of proceedings, and I move:

That the report be noted.

The resolution of appointment of the Public Accounts Committee requires, inter alia, that it examine all reports of the Auditor-General which have been laid before the Assembly. Auditor-General's Report No. 11 of 1997 is the Auditor-General's annual report for the 1996-97 year, and was formally presented to the Assembly on 4 November this year. The report was, in fact, made available to members of the Assembly by the Auditor-General prior to the Auditor-General's examination by the Select Committee on Estimates 1997-98 on 14 October 1997 in relation to the annual and financial reports of ACT government agencies. Nevertheless, the Public Accounts Committee is required to report formally to the Assembly on this Audit Office report.

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