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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2004 Week 06 Hansard (Thursday, 24 June 2004) . . Page.. 2640 ..

committee’s report, that the audit report has been delayed. It has not been provided to the government. It is in your estimates committee’s report, Mr Stefaniak. It says that it will be provided in mid-July. The government does not have it, contrary to the media releases that Mrs Burke has been putting out every Saturday morning. For two Saturdays in a row she has been saying, “Where is the report?” The government does not have it. She has been asking us to stop sitting on a report we do not have. We have not received it. I imagine that the commissioner, when she receives it, will make a decision about how she will provide it to the Chief Minister.

The commissioner commissioned that part of the review, or the audit review under her review. My understanding is that the report will be provided to the Chief Minister and that it will be provided to me some time in July. Mid-July is what the commissioner has written in her letter to the estimates committee. I cannot see any reason, going on the way that the government has conducted this very transparent process of tabling and making public all the information it has available through this inquiry, to have any significant delay.

I imagine that it will take a couple of days or so for the government to consider the report. If it is required to go to cabinet, some time will be needed for cabinet to be briefed on it. I imagine that it will be along the lines of how we dealt with the report, that we would seek a few days and then release it to the public. We have nothing to hide, Mr Cornwell.

MR CORNWELL: I have a supplementary question, Mr Speaker. This report was supposed to come down at the end of May 2004, according to the Vardon report. Why has it been held up? Is it because of the failure of the government to provide data to Ms Murray to finish the report or is it for some other reason? Will you give this house an assurance that you will provide copies of it to interested members as soon as it becomes available?

MS GALLAGHER: I answered the second part of the question in my first response. I do not know why it has been delayed. It is a very thorough piece of work.

Mrs Burke: Didn’t you ask?

MS GALLAGHER: Ms Murray reports to the commissioner. The commissioner has required this part of the investigation. I have had a brief from the commissioner saying that it has been delayed. I had a briefing three, maybe four, days ago, saying that it was going to be delayed. From memory—I will check in case I am wrong—there were 40 children still to have their audits written up. It has taken longer than expected. There is no conspiracy here. You can dig around and try to find one.

Mrs Burke: Nobody is suggesting a conspiracy. You said that.

MS GALLAGHER: You are insinuating that the government is trying to hide something, is not handing you information or is delaying the provision of information. In fact, Mr Cornwell, in the lead-up to his question, asked whether it is because the government has not cooperated. Essentially, that was the point he was making. I take offence at that. The government has cooperated; the government has been transparent. We have provided all the documents that we have relating to this matter, either through

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