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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2001 Week 10 Hansard (30 August) . . Page.. 3736 ..

MR HIRD (continuing):

Mr Moore, my predecessor as chair of the committee, said that a decision would be made during this Assembly.

Mr Speaker, in order to manage our heavy workload, we seconded officers on four occasions in the past year. They were a great help. I particularly want to mention Mr Mark Ransom, who brought with him a fine engineering background to help us in our inquiries into traffic warrants; and Mr Matt Gamble, who gave us the benefit of his legal experience in our inquiry into the introduction of the 50 kph speed limit.

Members will see that the third section of our report highlights some specific features of our activity in the past year. I think they make interesting reading and certainly show the diverse range of our activities.

I would like to thank the secretariat. In particular, I would like to thank Kim Blackburn and Judy Moutia; members of the Hansard staff, under the direction of Keith Ryder; and Ray Blundell who, in a professional and helpful way, ensured that the equipment was in place to enable Hansard to assist my committee by providing a transcript of our hearings. I commend the report to the house.

Question resolved in the affirmative.

Finance and Public Administration-Standing Committee

Public accounts committee report No 27

MR QUINLAN (11.16): I present the following report:

Finance and Public Administration-Standing Committee (incorporating the Public Accounts Committee)-Public Accounts Committee Report No 27-The Presentation and Framework of the Capital Works Program, dated 27 August 2001, together with a copy of the extracts of the minutes of proceedings.

I move:

That the report be noted.

It is with some regret that I have to advise the Assembly that I think in this exercise I played Jim Hacker to Mick Lilley's Sir Humphrey Appleby. I set out on a personal mission via the committee to try to establish a public works reporting system that was of some use-a closed system in that once a project had entered that system, it remained within that system until it was completed, altered or dispensed with. I want to get a little bit more truth in reporting. I do not want a situation where the same public works are claimed as great initiatives year in year out, or even worse, public works programs are claimed as initiatives and then never followed through. I hope that in the future we will be able to reach that nirvana in the reporting of public works.

We have to get to the stage of having a closed system. To that end, I advise members that the report contains an attachment in which I have set out of the elements of a closed system. Such a system will ensure that we have true accounting, starting with the promise, continuing with the commitment and concluding with the completion, or noting that a particular project has been dispensed with.

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