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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 10 Hansard (18 October) . . Page.. 3181 ..

MR HUMPHRIES (continuing):

Those things will be laid before the committee in a fairly simple statement. The committee will have nearly two months to consider that matter and then report to the Assembly in December to allow the government to get on with the business of drafting the budget in light of the committee's recommendations.

Ms Tucker raised the question of the capacity to raise revenue. That capacity to recommend revenue-raising measures will be contained in the brief of the committee and it will be able to make those recommendations. If, for example, Ms Tucker suggests that there should be a carbon tax to raise more revenue, that can go into the committee report. If the government adopts the idea, that will have an influence on the forming of the budget for the next financial year. I think the motion addresses the concerns that the Greens and others raised about the budget process for last year, at least in this respect.

Mr Quinlan has now said that the budget is going to change significantly. At the time of the draft budget in January of this year-I can recall his words very clearly-he said, "I predict that the final budget will not change one iota from the draft budget." The criticism now is that it will change too much to be of any relevance. I am not sure how to deal with criticisms that come at either end of the spectrum, that are diametrically opposed.

Either way, Mr Speaker, what the government can see at the point where it presents the report to the committee is what the government will be basing any decisions on as it proceeds to make those decisions for the coming financial year. We can do no more or less than that, than put before the committee the vista that the government has of the budgetary position as this task gets under way.

Mr Corbell said that basically the issues were too complex to get across in the time available. I have to say that that is not what the community organisations that made submissions to this process said about this exercise. They all said that there needed to be a capacity for an overview to occur of the budget position, of the parameters of the budget for the coming year. They wanted to see that occur.

I particularly recall the Council of Social Service submission on this point. They argued very strongly that this very process should be put in place. This process will allow for public consultation-I am sure that there will be time for that-and Assembly committee examination of me or whoever happens to be Treasurer at that point on these very issues. I think that it is an appropriate response to what the Estimates Committee itself raised about these matters only a few months ago. I commend the motion to the house.

Question put:

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