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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2001 Week 1 Hansard (15 February) . . Page.. 216 ..

MR HUMPHRIES (continuing):

They wanted to see the process continue, and so do we. So what we have here is, first of all, the option of making recommendations that are consistent with the global budget. A committee can take the recommendations and say, "We agree with these. We do not agree with that. We think something else is actually a higher priority for new public money," and they can rearrange the priorities within that framework. That is the nature of the exercise, in fact, that was referred to committees last year.

Mr Berry: You are just a joke, Gary, and everybody is laughing at you.

MR HUMPHRIES: I know that you are very reluctant to engage in public consultation about this, Mr Berry. You are very much on the record about that, but I think there are others who want to make this work. I think that the community as a whole will support this sort of process.

The second option is the option of not taking up the budget at all. Why have we put that option on the table? It was very clear that some committees, particularly, I might say, committees dominated by Labor/Green members of the Assembly felt that it was inappropriate-

Mr Quinlan: How many is that?

MR HUMPHRIES: The health committee, for one.

Mr Moore: No, the education committee.

MR HUMPHRIES: I beg your pardon, the education committee.

Mr Wood: Hang on. You are talking in very general terms about things you do not remember well, Mr Humphries.

MR HUMPHRIES: Thank you, Mr Wood. Mr Speaker, those committees obviously felt very reluctant to take on board-

Mr Wood: This is what you want to stand up and say. Your whole process is designed for you to be able to stand up and say this. That is what it is all about.

MR SPEAKER: Order! You will have a chance to put your views forward shortly, Mr Wood. Mr Humphries has the floor at the moment.

MR HUMPHRIES: Some committees are obviously reluctant to take part in that process. They obviously do not want to have thrust on them an involvement in a process with which they obviously feel profoundly uncomfortable. I am not proposing in this budget process to make those committees do what they do not wish to do, so the option is there for them to decline to take part in the process.

But there are only two options presented and, with respect, that is the only way this process will work. We have the option of either being involved and contributing to the exercise under the terms that the Assembly laid down last year and, if you pass the motion, we will lay down again this year, or the option of opting out altogether. Either way, it has been the government's decision in each of these two years to make this

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