Page 1316 - Week 05 - Tuesday, 9 April 2013
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the Assembly of 14 February 2013 referred the bill to the committee for inquiry and report. Referral of supplementary appropriation bills to parliamentary committees for inquiry and report is an important oversight mechanism that assists the parliament in its control of the public purse and is fundamental to responsible government. Scrutiny of the main and supplementary appropriation bills are not just mechanisms for obtaining parliamentary approval for proposed expenditure; in addition, oversight of proposed appropriation bills is critically important in ensuring transparency, accountability and good governance.
The second appropriation bill provides for the appropriation of a total of $231.058 million in 2012-13 across three overarching output categories: one, the ACT local hospital network; two, the land rent scheme; and three, an appropriation apportioned across two output classes for an unspent appropriation from the former Treasury Directorate in 2011-12.
The committee held one public hearing on the proposed legislation on Tuesday 5 March 2013, at which it heard from the Treasurer and Minister for Economic Development, Mr Andrew Barr, the Minister for Health, Ms Katy Gallagher, and their accompanying directorate officials.
The committee has carefully considered the expenditure proposals contained in the second appropriation bill. The committee is satisfied with the explanations provided for each of the expenditure proposals. The committee has set out its comments in relation to each of the proposals in its report.
The committee makes two recommendations: that the Assembly pass Appropriation Bill 2012-13 (No 2) and, to the extent that the work is not already taking place, the ACT government table in the Legislative Assembly by the last sitting day in June 2013 the government response to the post-implementation review of the ACT land rent scheme.
The committee thanks the Treasurer and Minister for Economic Development and the Minister for Health as well as officials from the Chief Minister and Treasury, Economic Development and Health directorates who assisted the committee in the course of its inquiry by appearing before it and/or providing additional information.
I conclude by thanking my Assembly colleagues on the committee—Ms Porter, Dr Bourke and Mr Brendan Smyth—and the committee office staff, most particularly, Andrea Cullen who does such an outstanding job in looking after a very, very busy committee. I commend the report to the Assembly. My committee colleagues may also wish to provide comment.
DR BOURKE (Ginninderra) (10.31): I welcome this opportunity to speak on the first report from the Eighth Assembly Standing Committee on Public Accounts. I support the recommendations from our inquiry into Appropriation Bill 2012-2013 (No 2). The two recommendations are that the government table by the last sitting day in June its response to the post-implementation review of the land rent scheme and that the Assembly, sensibly, pass the appropriation bill.
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