Page 922 - Week 04 - Thursday, 3 May 2007
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MR STEFANIAK: I will say it should be dealt with under standing order 46 then. Those are the comments I make.
MR SPEAKER: Standing order 46 matters are usually dealt with by leave after discussion of particular motions and so on. So just keep that in mind.
MR STEFANIAK: I will. I have made the comment. Thank you, Mr Speaker.
MR STANHOPE (Ginninderra—Chief Minister, Treasurer, Minister for Business and Economic Development, Minister for Indigenous Affairs, Minister for the Environment, Water and Climate Change, Minister for the Arts) (12.21): I move amendment No 1 circulated in my name [see schedule 1 at page 990].
I table a supplementary explanatory statement to the amendment. The amendment amends subsections (1) and (2) of section 16A to make it clear that eligibility to access this appropriation is based on the accumulated employee entitlement payments made or required to be made by the agency in each financial year. Accordingly those payments are to be dealt with on a cumulative basis and not as an individual payment.
MR MULCAHY (Molonglo) (12.22): Just briefly, as I indicated, we are happy to support this amendment since we identified the drafting error. I would like to make it very clear in supporting this amendment to the bill that I requested advice as to whether there was some critical basis of urgency for this legislation, and I was fairly contemptuously disregarded on that. I then asked that the Treasurer be approached by the adviser to give us a further week to look at the matter. My office continued to chase down, and that was dismissed as well.
I do not think it is a good approach. We have now got a new procedure where the DLOs are prevented from coming to briefings. This is the wrong approach. This is not an approach that elicits cooperation, and as long as it continues I will continue to raise my concerns. But we support the bill and support the amendment.
Amendment agreed to.
Bill, as a whole, as amended, agreed to.
Bill, as amended, agreed to.
Sitting suspended from 12.24 to 2.30 pm.
Questions without notice
Belconnen to Civic busway
MR STEFANIAK: My question is to the Chief Minister and Treasurer. Mr Hargreaves recently announced the cancellation or deferral of a number of projects such as the Belconnen busway and the real-time information system for buses. He also announced a review of the sustainable transport plan released by Mr Corbell in 2004. These projects have cost millions of dollars to develop prior to their cancellation. Were the decisions taken about these projects considered by the cabinet or by Mr Hargreaves alone?
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