Page 435 - Week 01 - Thursday, 11 December 2008
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
the centre fully staffed at this stage? Again, I make the point: this is information we could have got out of an estimates process when we had officials present, but we cannot. So I have two questions: when are the payments to be made and due and is the centre fully staffed at this time?
MR HARGREAVES (Brindabella—Minister for Disability and Housing, Minister for Ageing, Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Minister for Industrial Relations and Minister for Corrections) (9.48): Very briefly, the answer to Mr Smyth’s questions about the payments is that, in the course of the January to June period, the last prisoner will be received from New South Wales as a transitional release. They come back to us in groups; they do not come back in one go. And the last one will come about midway between January and June. That means that the total services that we have received from New South Wales will be complete and they will be looking for the money. So we need to appropriate it before June and pay them. The most important thing is that the total amount of payments has to be paid in this financial year. So the total amount is now being appropriated.
MR SMYTH (Brindabella) (9.49): The minister, again, does not answer the question. The question is: what is the timing of the payments? Gratefully, I say thank you, Treasurer; the Treasurer said across the chamber that she will find out what the payment schedule is, and that is the whole point. Are we appropriating money that we do not have to appropriate today and that could have waited? Perhaps there will be a third appropriation, and I suspect there will be a third appropriation because the minister and the Chief Minister have already indicated that a stimulus package may be required to answer the global financial crisis. So we know there is more than likely going to be a third appropriation. We do not have to do this now. We could have been doing this next year. Again, there are questions here, and questions come from the questions. We all know this from the estimates process: when you get an answer to one question, it may lead to four or five other questions. That is why we should not be doing it this way. But I do thank the Treasurer for her approach to this. It is far more reasonable than that of her colleague. The other point was the staffing. Is it fully staffed at this stage?
MR SPEAKER: Mr Hargreaves, you have had the floor twice.
Mr Hargreaves: No, I don’t want it again, thanks, at the moment, Mr Speaker.
Mr Smyth: Because you would have to answer the question then.
Mr Hargreaves: I don’t have to answer the question.
Subclauses 7(13) and 7(14) agreed to.
Subclauses 7(15), 7(16) and 7(17).
MR DOSZPOT (Brindabella) (9.51): I would just like to speak on a couple of issues and to back up what Mr Smyth was saying. The fact that we are asking these questions and are getting answers is what this evening is all about. Had this happened earlier we would not have to go through this and I thank the Treasurer for providing a briefing to us yesterday at 1 o’clock. Ms Hummel briefed us on some of the questions
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .