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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2001 Week 7 Hansard (21 June) . . Page.. 2325 ..

MR BERRY (continuing):

made for the redevelopment in excess of amounts appropriated were not lawful; the overnight borrowing was not lawful; section 6 of the Financial Management Act was not complied with; expenditure on the redevelopment was not of a nature which constituted an investment in accordance with section 38(1) of the Financial Management Act; guidelines issued under section 67(2) of the Financial Management Act cannot be given retrospective effect to make lawful the unappropriated expenditure; section 37(1) of the Financial Management Act was not complied with; section 58 of the Australian Capital Territory (Self-Government) Act was not complied with; section 31(2)(a) and (c) of the Financial Management Act was not complied with; and section 40 of the Financial Management Act was not complied with.

Government members interjecting-

MR BERRY: Does the then first law officer think that this was a matter with which he obviously ought to have been concerned? If so, do you think you should be held accountable for those decisions, or those incorrect decisions?

MR HUMPHRIES: Mr Speaker, I think the question Mr Berry has asked is the equivalent of asking Mr Quinlan to resign because his predecessors in the Labor Party imposed a $344 million operating loss on the ACT community. It is about the same, Mr Speaker.

Mr Stanhope: Were you the Attorney-General?

MR HUMPHRIES: You asked a very long question, Mr Berry. I will give you my answer. Mr Speaker, I am not going to respond to a selective quoting from House of Representatives Practice.

Members interjecting-

MR SPEAKER: Order! I do not want an exchange across the chamber. Would the government please come to order.

MR HUMPHRIES: The minister responsible for those matters at the time has already paid the highest price possible for those matters. Mr Berry now espouses a new concept, that not only should the responsible minister resign but the whole government should resign.

Mr Stanhope: You got promoted.

MR SPEAKER: Be careful, Mr Stanhope. You are still under warning.

Mr Stanhope: I keep forgetting.

MR SPEAKER: Indeed.

MR HUMPHRIES: The minister responsible has resigned. Even with the most lax view about ministerial responsibility, there can be no higher price to pay than that. The price has been paid, Mr Berry. I believe that the community would expect on that basis that her successor as Chief Minister should address the task of repairing the issues or the problems which occurred with the way in which government conducts itself, not also

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