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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 4 Hansard (30 March) . . Page.. 1161 ..

MR HUMPHRIES (continuing):

As members would be aware, an arbiter was appointed who recommended a CPI plus 0.5 per cent index be applied. Instead, the Commonwealth has decided to index the grants by the Wage Cost Index Series 1, which over five years, represents a loss to the ACT health system of $7 million.

Mr Speaker, I have joined with my State and Territory colleagues to express the strong view that the Council of Australian Governments should meet to consider this issue as a matter of priority. The Commonwealth's failure to accept an independent arbitrated outcome to this dispute, using the procedures the Commonwealth signed up to, Mr Speaker; sets a damaging precedent for the management of financial relations.

Finally Mr Speaker, the same members of the Council then met for the 139th meeting of the Australian Loan Council.

Loan Council endorsed the Loan Council Allocations nominated by the Commonwealth and each State and Territory for 2000-2001 with the ACT's Loan Council Allocation agreed at minus $96 million, which means that the ACT is expected to be a net investor, as opposed to a borrower, in 2000-2001.

MR HUMPHRIES: I present the following paper:

I move:

Debate (on motion by Mr Berry ) adjourned.

MR QUINLAN: Pursuant to standing order 246A, I wish to inform the Assembly that on 24 March 2000 the Standing Committee on Finance and Public Administration, incorporating the public accounts committee, resolved that the committee inquire into and report on the proposed ACTEW/AGL partnership arrangement and that a statement be made detailing the arrangements that the committee has made. I seek leave to incorporate the statement in Hansard.

Leave granted.

The statement read as follows:

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