Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .

Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1999 Week 1 Hansard (17 February) . . Page.. 278 ..

MR HUMPHRIES (continuing):

Naturally, the very nature of emergency management will require a high degree of flexibility to ensure that response services are not compromised, and that may mean, in the context of the present year's budget, adjustments to non-operational budgets regularly in the course of any financial year. The executive director has settled the 1998-99 budgets for Fire Brigade operations and the fire safety areas.

As I said earlier today, the search has begun for sponsors for SouthCare to assist with the high operating costs of that service. My hope is that when sponsors are identified and commit to the service SouthCare will be as close to self-funding as possible. For the first year of operations, however, I expect that the service will cost the Territory some money, and if that cost is in excess of the funding that is supplied the Emergency Services Bureau will seek to fund those operations from within its own global budget. I do not expect any impact on the Fire Brigade operations budget as a result of the SouthCare commencement.

Question resolved in the affirmative.

Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .