Ms CARNEY - 2005-08-23
The nett result of the Auditor-General’s random audit shows that the nett loss amounts to $1000. However, massive overpayments and underpayments may have been made. The fact that the nett result is small is irrelevant. No-one knows the details, based on the Auditor-General’s report,. butHowever, you, Chief Minister, do and could. Can you tell parliament and the people of the Territory whether you will name the ministers who received overpayments; whether repeated overpayments were made and paid back; and advise what, if any, disciplinary action you have taken?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I have taken some disciplinary action against myself for being underpaid $60. I just say …
Ms Carney: I am sorry you do not regard this seriously, you should.
Ms MARTIN: No. I say againrepeat what I said in response to the otherprevious question, that the Auditor-General did an assessment - June 2003 to June 2004. He discovered there were some administrative errors. If he had discovered - and I have a lot of trust in our Auditor-General,. hHe is a very fine Auditor-General …
Ms Carney: As do we.
Ms MARTIN: I note that we heard a lot of hot air from the opposition about the waterfront, but not a word about the …
Ms Carney: Why do you not change the subject? Stick with …
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Ms MARTIN: … while we are referring to the Auditor-General, - not a word to say: ‘We must have been wrong about the waterfront because the Auditor-General says ‘probity in order’. It is interesting that we hear silence on some issues.
I have a lot of confidence in the Auditor-General. If the Auditor-General had written in his report - which he has every entitlement to do - that there had been massive rorting of the system, massive overpayments or massive underpayments, he would have said so. What we have is the Opposition Leader, who had an hysterical attack last week …
Ms Carney: Oh, get over it!
Ms MARTIN: I say that because it was an hysterical attack, and I say it with some sense of care because, as I said, the noise she made could almost be heard in Jakarta.
I did investigate, I received a briefing on what had happened, and read what the Auditor-General had saidwrote. He said there have been some administrative errors.
Ms Carney: And then what did you do? Are you leading us through it?
Madam SPEAKER: Leader of the Opposition, cease interjecting.
Ms MARTIN: Can I say, the Opposition Leader was a practising lawyer for many years; this is not a court of law …
Ms Carney: I am a bit used to getting the truth, sorry.
Ms MARTIN: … and it is very offensive to have the …
Madam SPEAKER: Leader of the Opposition!
Ms MARTIN: … Opposition Leader as a witness through what I want to say. This is not a court of law. This is the parliament, and you should have some courtesy …
Ms Carney: Yes, I know, so there is no obligation for you to be honest …
Madam SPEAKER: Leader of the Opposition!
Ms MARTIN: … and listen to what I am saying.
Madam SPEAKER: Leader of the Opposition, will you please cease interjecting?
Ms MARTIN: Thank you, Madam Speaker. The Auditor-General has raised an issue of administrative errors,. tThey are being corrected, and that is the end of the matter. If the Auditor-General had said there were massive overpayments and corruption of the system, yes, I would have acted and acted before now. However, he has not said that,. and yYou cannot put constructions into what the Auditor-General has put in his report to this parliament that are simply not there.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I have taken some disciplinary action against myself for being underpaid $60. I just say …
Ms Carney: I am sorry you do not regard this seriously, you should.
Ms MARTIN: No. I say againrepeat what I said in response to the otherprevious question, that the Auditor-General did an assessment - June 2003 to June 2004. He discovered there were some administrative errors. If he had discovered - and I have a lot of trust in our Auditor-General,. hHe is a very fine Auditor-General …
Ms Carney: As do we.
Ms MARTIN: I note that we heard a lot of hot air from the opposition about the waterfront, but not a word about the …
Ms Carney: Why do you not change the subject? Stick with …
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Ms MARTIN: … while we are referring to the Auditor-General, - not a word to say: ‘We must have been wrong about the waterfront because the Auditor-General says ‘probity in order’. It is interesting that we hear silence on some issues.
I have a lot of confidence in the Auditor-General. If the Auditor-General had written in his report - which he has every entitlement to do - that there had been massive rorting of the system, massive overpayments or massive underpayments, he would have said so. What we have is the Opposition Leader, who had an hysterical attack last week …
Ms Carney: Oh, get over it!
Ms MARTIN: I say that because it was an hysterical attack, and I say it with some sense of care because, as I said, the noise she made could almost be heard in Jakarta.
I did investigate, I received a briefing on what had happened, and read what the Auditor-General had saidwrote. He said there have been some administrative errors.
Ms Carney: And then what did you do? Are you leading us through it?
Madam SPEAKER: Leader of the Opposition, cease interjecting.
Ms MARTIN: Can I say, the Opposition Leader was a practising lawyer for many years; this is not a court of law …
Ms Carney: I am a bit used to getting the truth, sorry.
Ms MARTIN: … and it is very offensive to have the …
Madam SPEAKER: Leader of the Opposition!
Ms MARTIN: … Opposition Leader as a witness through what I want to say. This is not a court of law. This is the parliament, and you should have some courtesy …
Ms Carney: Yes, I know, so there is no obligation for you to be honest …
Madam SPEAKER: Leader of the Opposition!
Ms MARTIN: … and listen to what I am saying.
Madam SPEAKER: Leader of the Opposition, will you please cease interjecting?
Ms MARTIN: Thank you, Madam Speaker. The Auditor-General has raised an issue of administrative errors,. tThey are being corrected, and that is the end of the matter. If the Auditor-General had said there were massive overpayments and corruption of the system, yes, I would have acted and acted before now. However, he has not said that,. and yYou cannot put constructions into what the Auditor-General has put in his report to this parliament that are simply not there.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016