Page 5381 - Week 13 - Wednesday, 16 November 2011
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Subsequently in the annual report hearings on 1 November this year the Executive Director of Parks and City Services Division in Territory and Municipal Services confirmed this advice by indicating that at the request of the RSPCA an additional amount of $150,000 was provided in the 2010-11 financial year, although she indicated she was uncertain of the date when this payment was made. I accepted this advice and was not provided any information to the contrary.
I have now been advised by the executive director that they have made an error in their advice to me for both the letters written by me and advice provided at the annual reports hearings and had confused this advice with the payment of substantial additional funding of $300,000 made to the RSPCA as reflected as revenue in the RSPCA annual report in 2009-10. To correct that advice I can confirm that no additional payment of $150,000 was made in 2010-11.
However, with regard to the funding support provided to the RSPCA it should be noted that two additional payments totalling $400,000 were made to the RSPCA in 2008-09 in response to a request for funding to meet their cash crisis. These payments were in addition to the service funding agreement, the first payment of which, of $100,000, was paid on 5 February 2009 and the second, a payment of $300,000, was paid on 25 June 2009. This $300,000 payment is recorded as a Treasurer’s advance funding or payment and is shown as revenue in the 2009-10 RSPCA annual report.
Under the current service funding agreement signed on 30 September this year cash funding to be paid to the RSPCA in 2011-12 is $570,000. This is $150,000 or 36 per cent more on the cash funding provided to the RSPCA for their activities in the 2010-11 financial year. Two payments have been made, in instalments of $142,500 each, which were paid on 1 July 2011 and 11 October 2011.
I wish to table a table which answers Mr Seselja’s question to me yesterday in relation to when payments have been made to the RSPCA, and I wish to apologise to the Assembly for any confusion this error has caused. I table the following paper:
RSPCA Funding—Summary.
Questions without notice
Children and young people—care and protection
MR SESELJA: My question is to the Minister for Community Services. Minister, on 30 August 2011 the Government Solicitor sent a letter to Northern Bridging Support Services that reminded NBSS of the requirement of the Children and Young People Act in relation to authorisation as a suitable entity and of the requirement that a suitable entity must hold a general parental authority. The Government Solicitor told NBSS that it had never been approved in either of these capacities, suggesting that, should it wish to be so authorised, it should make application to the director-general.
Minister, yesterday you tabled in this place a letter from the Solicitor-General advising that your directorate was not in breach of the act by placing children with NBSS. Minister, I seek your clarification. To what extent was it proper for the directorate to place children with NBSS when the Government Solicitor says it held neither suitable entity authorisation nor general parental authorisation?
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