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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1998 Week 10 Hansard (24 November) . . Page.. 2765 ..

Mr Berry: And you never did?

MR SPEAKER: Order! Please, Mr Berry!

MS CARNELL: Yes, I know that he cannot cope, Mr Speaker, that he has stuffed it up, but anyway!

MR SPEAKER: He is going to have to try very hard because I am beginning to lose patience.

MS CARNELL: Thank you, Mr Speaker. For our form of government to work estimates committees need to do the job that they were set up to do; not just to see estimates committees as a long, obtuse question time for asking anything that hits your mind today, but to look at exactly the things that they are supposed to look at. The Estimates Committee has not done that, Mr Speaker. It has attacked public servants. It has, as Mr Berry said, adopted the very dangerous new approach, which Mr Berry has reaffirmed today, that estimates committees can ask questions of public servants directly without Ministers being able to take those questions on their behalf. Mr Berry reaffirmed that today. That is an absolutely unacceptable approach, Mr Speaker.

I think that this Estimates Committee report is an absolute farce. I think that it shows that we need a review of our estimates committee approach to bring us back to the core issues - the issues about accountability of government, the issues about making sure that expenditure and revenue are appropriate and that the directions that governments spell out in their annual reports are in line with reality, what is actually happening. It is not up to the Estimates Committee to decide what policy direction the Government should be taking; that is the role of the Executive in our system of government. Whether those opposite like it or not, it is the reality. We have even got a situation here - - -

Mr Corbell: You do not understand the separation of powers.

MS CARNELL: I am very pleased that Mr Corbell brought up the separation of powers. In terms of the separation of powers, Mr Speaker, I would like every member to turn to recommendation 17, where the committee actually suggests that departmental annual reports include an explanation of cases before the Magistrates Court that have been - - -

Mr Corbell: Nonsense.

MS CARNELL: Sorry; that is exactly what it says, "explanations for cases mentioned 10 times or more". Mr Speaker, that is an actual recommendation; I just read it. There is no way that departmental annual reports can explain cases. The separation of powers is quite clear. So, not only have we got - - -

Mr Corbell: It is a reporting measure; that is all it is.

MR SPEAKER: Order!

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