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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1999 Week 8 Hansard (25 August) . . Page.. 2344 ..

MR QUINLAN (continuing):

the inclusion of quantified outcomes is pretty well a useless exercise because there is not much value in knowing that the bottom line of the Government, in financial terms, will be satisfied without knowing that the predetermined levels of service have been provided.

This amendment Bill will provide reasonable accountability and takes a step further towards enabling members of this Assembly to take a more informed view in their analysis of budgets and/or draft budgets, if we move to that particular process in the future, and in fact then makes useful some of the projected information that is within the budget paper.

Debate (on motion by Mr Humphries ) adjourned.

INDEPENDENT STATUTORY BODY ON OFFICIAL CORRUPTION - LEGISLATIVE REQUIREMENT

MR KAINE (10.44): I move:

That the Assembly notes the need to legislate for the establishment and operation of an independent statutory body to investigate matters of official corruption in the Australian Capital Territory.

I seek leave to present a paper.

Leave granted

MR KAINE: Thank you, members, and thank you, Mr Speaker. I present the ACT Independent Commission Against Corruption Exposure Draft legislation. Mr Speaker, two weeks ago I released for public comment an exposure draft of a Bill, a copy of which I have now tabled, the object of which is to constitute an independent commission against corruption for the Australian Capital Territory and to confer on this body wide and powerful information-gathering powers.

Before going into the details of this legislation, I believe I should devote a few words to the rationale for and the objectives of this proposed independent commission. There has been some speculation about my reasons for wanting to set up this body. I have stated that official or public corruption is one of the great evils of our time and that, unfortunately, we cannot assume that the ACT is immune from this creeping cancer. As I said, the cost to the community is immense, not only in dollar terms but in the damage done to community confidence in public administration. In recent years there undoubtedly has been increasing community concern over disturbing revelations suggesting improper or dubious activities involving public administration.

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