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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2002 Week 10 Hansard (29 August) . . Page.. 3081 ..

MR STEFANIAK (continuing):

Fitness assessments are crucially important when added to initiatives to ensure greater physical activity in schools. It is essential that the government ensure that that occurs and take other reasonable steps to ensure greater physical activity and assistance to kids at school. Obesity is a huge growing problem in society. If nothing is done, society is going to have huge problems. We can take further action to stem that potential problem. Fitness assessments were a step in the right direction. I was very concerned to see them pulled. The government should start them again and get on with the job.

Amendment agreed to.

Proposed expenditure, as amended, agreed to.

Proposed expenditure-total appropriated to departments, $1,340,526,000 (net cost of outputs, $247,390,000 (capital injection) and $356,398,000 (payments on behalf of the territory), totalling $1,944,314,000-agreed to.

Proposed expenditure-part 18-Treasurer's Advance, $19,400,000.

MS DUNDAS (5.41): Mr Speaker, I appreciate the need for the Treasurer's Advance. Every year there is some likelihood of a need for unforeseen expenditure, and it would be onerous to require the government to seek an appropriation for every item that could not be met from within other parts of the Appropriation Act.

However, I see a worrying tendency for ACT Treasurers to treat the advance as pocket money they can spend on anything they please, as long as they have been good. I am doubtful that any of the items of expenditure under the 2001-02 Treasurer's Advance were genuinely unforeseen. Or, if any items were unforeseen, it appears that it would have been simple for the government to have avoided the expenditure altogether.

I put on notice that I will be carefully scrutinising the use of the Treasurer's Advance this financial year, to check that abuse of the terms of the Financial Management Act is not becoming a habit.

MR QUINLAN (Treasurer, Minister for Economic Development, Business and Tourism, Minister for Sport, Racing and Gaming and Minister for Police, Emergency Services and Corrections) (5.41): Through you, Mr Speaker, might I relay to Ms Dundas: you and the Auditor-General.

Proposed expenditure agreed to.

Proposed expenditure-total appropriations, $1,340,526,000 (net cost of outputs), $247,390,000 (capital injection) and $356,398,000 (payments on behalf of the territory), totalling $1,963,714,000-agreed to.

Clauses 1 to 12, by leave, taken together and agreed to.

Schedule 2.

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