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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1999 Week 10 Hansard (13 October) . . Page.. 3049 ..

Mr Moore: Mr Kaine knows that.

MS CARNELL: I am sure that Mr Kaine understands that is the case and will see that this is just spending taxpayers' money for absolutely no benefit. Unless Mr Quinlan and Mr Berry are going to try to pretend that the first quarter figures can be multiplied by four!

Mr Quinlan: No.

MS CARNELL: Whatever comes in the first quarter is not a quarter of the year. Of course, it is not. It is not in virtually any area at all. So on that basis, could we just please concentrate on this and look at what we are actually doing. I am sure the crossbenches - - -

Mr Berry: That is not what I said.

MS CARNELL: I did not say you did.

Mr Berry: Yes, you did.

MS CARNELL: Mr Speaker - - -

Mr Berry: That is why you are not Treasurer any more.

MS CARNELL: Mr Speaker, it is not what I said. I said, unless those opposite were trying to suggest that the first quarter results were somehow a quarter of a full year, then they will achieve nothing with this piece of legislation. They will not be able to, Mr Berry, assess whether we were right or wrong in our assumptions until the annual report comes down because you do not get final reports against outputs until the annual reports come down.

Mr Berry: We are talking about the budget, ma'am.

MS CARNELL: You will not be able to assess, Mr Berry, whether the projections you are asking us to put on the table in January, or whenever the draft budget comes down, are right or wrong, until you have the annual report.

Mr Berry: Well, perhaps we should not pass the budget until then.

MS CARNELL: Until you have the annual report. But that has got nothing to do with the budget. I am trying to be simple here and make it clear why this is potentially Mr Quinlan after some cheap political points. But I do not think he will even get those. I do not know what he will be assessing the figures that he gets against, until he gets the annual report; at which stage he would have a report against the outputs anyway.

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