Page 2290 - Week 07 - Thursday, 4 August 2016
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Question resolved in the affirmative.
Education, Training and Youth Affairs—Standing Committee
Statement by chair
MR HINDER (Ginninderra): Pursuant to standing order 246A, I wish to make a statement on behalf of the Standing Committee on Education, Training and Youth Affairs in relation to the committee’s consideration of the annual and financial reports referred to it in October of 2015.
Pursuant to the resolution of the Assembly dated 29 October 2015, inter alia, the following annual reports were referred to the committee: the annual report for the University of Canberra for 2015 and the annual report for the Canberra Institute of Technology for 2015. Both annual reports were tabled in the Assembly, pursuant to statutory requirements, by the Minister for Higher Education, Training and Research, on 5 May 2016. I note that this was after the committee had tabled its report on all other annual reports for 2014-15 referred to it under the resolution of the Assembly.
Both annual reports are annual reports for the calendar year 2015 rather than the 2014-15 financial year. Paragraph (4) of the resolution referring these two annual reports to the committee says:
Standing committees are to report to the Assembly on financial year reports by the last sitting day in March 2016 and on calendar year reports by the last sitting day in August 2016.
The committee has endeavoured to conduct an examination of the annual reports in question. Due to the significant workload placed on members by the budget and estimates processes, the committee has been unable to give the report more than a cursory review and therefore will not be able to provide the Assembly with a considered report.
Accordingly, on behalf of the standing committee, I advise the Assembly that the committee cannot fulfil the requirements placed on it by the Assembly and recommends to the Assembly that these two annual reports be referred to the appropriate standing committee established by the ninth Assembly and encourages any new committee to consider the reports. We also advise that the timing of these reports, being calendar rather than financial year, will probably result in this standing committee’s being unable to fulfil the requirements of the Assembly in the fourth year of each successive Assembly.
On behalf of the standing committee, I also inform the Assembly that the committee has written to the Minister for Higher Education, Training and Research advising that it proposes a course of action for these annual reports.
Executive business—precedence
Ordered that executive business be called on.
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