❓ Shadow Minister Ripper questions Health Minister Hames about the use of special purpose funds to cover bills, alleging misuse of Commonwealth funds and disregard for committee instructions. Minister Hames defends the decision, stating the funds were repaid with interest and were not Commonwealth funds, while acknowledging a reprimand from the Auditor General.
AnsweredQoN 902Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
METROPOLITAN HEALTH SERVICE — SPECIAL PURPOSE FUNDS
I refer to the minister’s authorisation of the raid of $25 million from special purpose funds to pay the bills at the metropolitan health service. (1) When was the minister first made aware of his department’s intention to use these funds? (2) Was the minister aware of the explicit advice from the Economic and Expenditure Reform Committee that commonwealth funds were not to be used for anything other than the specified purpose? (3) Given the highly unusual nature of those fund transfers, why did the minister not seek the advice of the Treasurer or his department? (4) Why did the minister, as Deputy Premier, ignore an instruction from the Economic and Expenditure Reform Committee not to raid funds quarantined for special purposes? Dr K.D. HAMES
I refer to the minister’s authorisation of the raid of $25 million from special purpose funds to pay the bills at the metropolitan health service. (1) When was the minister first made aware of his department’s intention to use these funds? (2) Was the minister aware of the explicit advice from the Economic and Expenditure Reform Committee that commonwealth funds were not to be used for anything other than the specified purpose? (3) Given the highly unusual nature of those fund transfers, why did the minister not seek the advice of the Treasurer or his department? (4) Why did the minister, as Deputy Premier, ignore an instruction from the Economic and Expenditure Reform Committee not to raid funds quarantined for special purposes? Dr K.D. HAMES
AnswerView source ↗
(1)-(4) Once again the member opposite is taking too much notice of what he reads in the paper. I have to say that I myself have been guilty of that — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Thank you, members! Dr K.D. HAMES : However, I say quite clearly that the money was not taken from commonwealth funds. It was not taken from commonwealth funds. The reporter who wrote the article that said that we did do that failed to ask either me or the health department if commonwealth funds were contained in those special purpose account funds from which the money was taken. It is true that the Economic and Expenditure Reform Committee said that if we needed extra funds at the end of the financial year to pay our bills, we were not to take them from commonwealth funds, and we did not. The SPA funds are a totally different source of funds; they are funds that accumulate over time, some donated, that go into the different hospital funds and are then available for — Mr E.S. Ripper : The donors will be happy! Dr K.D. HAMES : It is available for research and often used for travel, particularly for medical staff who, as part of their contract, are allowed to take trips related to study for their profession. That is what those funds are used for. What did we do? Remember that we are talking $25 million, which is a 0.5 per cent variation in our total budget of roughly $5 billion. We got towards the end of the financial year and nobody — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Dr K.D. HAMES : Nobody in any department has ever been able to land — Mr R.H. Cook interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Kwinana! Dr K.D. HAMES : — exactly on the spot of exactly how much money we have and exactly how much we have spent. We had some bills that needed to be paid. I must say that it was my view that it was very important for us as a government to pay those bills, given that the funds were sitting there in Health—they were not commonwealth funds—and they certainly did not need to be used in that particular month. There is more than $60 million in funds altogether and they are used throughout the year for those purposes to which they are allocated. I took the view that I would rather pay the bills. We were three weeks away from the end of the financial year, and as soon as the financial year ended, those funds were repaid with the corresponding interest. Therefore, I feel that when, as a government, we owe money to small businesses that have provided either a service or a product to government, it is our responsibility to pay those bills on time. I did not feel comfortable with leaving those bills — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Dr K.D. HAMES : — for a further three weeks, particularly because that meant that at the end of their financial year those people would not have had the money that they should have been paid. Sure, I was quite happy to support — An opposition member interjected. Dr K.D. HAMES : I do not remember the exact timing; I think it was about three weeks before the end of the financial year—about the time that I was made aware of that and I was quite comfortable with it. I have to say that I did not know that it was improper, as the Auditor General referred to in his report. We have been slapped on the wrist for that. We will accept the Auditor General’s report. We will not do it again. But I have to say I feel quite comfortable with the fact that I paid the bills when they were due.
(1) When was the minister first made aware of his department’s intention to use these funds? (2) Was the minister aware of the explicit advice from the Economic and Expenditure Reform Committee that commonwealth funds were not to be used for anything other than the specified purpose? (3) Given the highly unusual nature of those fund transfers, why did the minister not seek the advice of the Treasurer or his department? (4) Why did the minister, as Deputy Premier, ignore an instruction from the Economic and Expenditure Reform Committee not to raid funds quarantined for special purposes? Dr K.D. HAMES replied: (1)-(4) Once again the member opposite is taking too much notice of what he reads in the paper. I have to say that I myself have been guilty of that — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Thank you, members! Dr K.D. HAMES : However, I say quite clearly that the money was not taken from commonwealth funds. It was not taken from commonwealth funds. The reporter who wrote the article that said that we did do that failed to ask either me or the health department if commonwealth funds were contained in those special purpose account funds from which the money was taken. It is true that the Economic and Expenditure Reform Committee said that if we needed extra funds at the end of the financial year to pay our bills, we were not to take them from commonwealth funds, and we did not. The SPA funds are a totally different source of funds; they are funds that accumulate over time, some donated, that go into the different hospital funds and are then available for — Mr E.S. Ripper : The donors will be happy! Dr K.D. HAMES : It is available for research and often used for travel, particularly for medical staff who, as part of their contract, are allowed to take trips related to study for their profession. That is what those funds are used for. What did we do? Remember that we are talking $25 million, which is a 0.5 per cent variation in our total budget of roughly $5 billion. We got towards the end of the financial year and nobody — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Dr K.D. HAMES : Nobody in any department has ever been able to land — Mr R.H. Cook interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Kwinana! Dr K.D. HAMES : — exactly on the spot of exactly how much money we have and exactly how much we have spent. We had some bills that needed to be paid. I must say that it was my view that it was very important for us as a government to pay those bills, given that the funds were sitting there in Health—they were not commonwealth funds—and they certainly did not need to be used in that particular month. There is more than $60 million in funds altogether and they are used throughout the year for those purposes to which they are allocated. I took the view that I would rather pay the bills. We were three weeks away from the end of the financial year, and as soon as the financial year ended, those funds were repaid with the corresponding interest. Therefore, I feel that when, as a government, we owe money to small businesses that have provided either a service or a product to government, it is our responsibility to pay those bills on time. I did not feel comfortable with leaving those bills — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Dr K.D. HAMES : — for a further three weeks, particularly because that meant that at the end of their financial year those people would not have had the money that they should have been paid. Sure, I was quite happy to support — An opposition member interjected. Dr K.D. HAMES : I do not remember the exact timing; I think it was about three weeks before the end of the financial year—about the time that I was made aware of that and I was quite comfortable with it. I have to say that I did not know that it was improper, as the Auditor General referred to in his report. We have been slapped on the wrist for that. We will accept the Auditor General’s report. We will not do it again. But I have to say I feel quite comfortable with the fact that I paid the bills when they were due.
(2) Was the minister aware of the explicit advice from the Economic and Expenditure Reform Committee that commonwealth funds were not to be used for anything other than the specified purpose? (3) Given the highly unusual nature of those fund transfers, why did the minister not seek the advice of the Treasurer or his department? (4) Why did the minister, as Deputy Premier, ignore an instruction from the Economic and Expenditure Reform Committee not to raid funds quarantined for special purposes? Dr K.D. HAMES replied: (1)-(4) Once again the member opposite is taking too much notice of what he reads in the paper. I have to say that I myself have been guilty of that — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Thank you, members! Dr K.D. HAMES : However, I say quite clearly that the money was not taken from commonwealth funds. It was not taken from commonwealth funds. The reporter who wrote the article that said that we did do that failed to ask either me or the health department if commonwealth funds were contained in those special purpose account funds from which the money was taken. It is true that the Economic and Expenditure Reform Committee said that if we needed extra funds at the end of the financial year to pay our bills, we were not to take them from commonwealth funds, and we did not. The SPA funds are a totally different source of funds; they are funds that accumulate over time, some donated, that go into the different hospital funds and are then available for — Mr E.S. Ripper : The donors will be happy! Dr K.D. HAMES : It is available for research and often used for travel, particularly for medical staff who, as part of their contract, are allowed to take trips related to study for their profession. That is what those funds are used for. What did we do? Remember that we are talking $25 million, which is a 0.5 per cent variation in our total budget of roughly $5 billion. We got towards the end of the financial year and nobody — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Dr K.D. HAMES : Nobody in any department has ever been able to land — Mr R.H. Cook interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Kwinana! Dr K.D. HAMES : — exactly on the spot of exactly how much money we have and exactly how much we have spent. We had some bills that needed to be paid. I must say that it was my view that it was very important for us as a government to pay those bills, given that the funds were sitting there in Health—they were not commonwealth funds—and they certainly did not need to be used in that particular month. There is more than $60 million in funds altogether and they are used throughout the year for those purposes to which they are allocated. I took the view that I would rather pay the bills. We were three weeks away from the end of the financial year, and as soon as the financial year ended, those funds were repaid with the corresponding interest. Therefore, I feel that when, as a government, we owe money to small businesses that have provided either a service or a product to government, it is our responsibility to pay those bills on time. I did not feel comfortable with leaving those bills — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Dr K.D. HAMES : — for a further three weeks, particularly because that meant that at the end of their financial year those people would not have had the money that they should have been paid. Sure, I was quite happy to support — An opposition member interjected. Dr K.D. HAMES : I do not remember the exact timing; I think it was about three weeks before the end of the financial year—about the time that I was made aware of that and I was quite comfortable with it. I have to say that I did not know that it was improper, as the Auditor General referred to in his report. We have been slapped on the wrist for that. We will accept the Auditor General’s report. We will not do it again. But I have to say I feel quite comfortable with the fact that I paid the bills when they were due.
(3) Given the highly unusual nature of those fund transfers, why did the minister not seek the advice of the Treasurer or his department? (4) Why did the minister, as Deputy Premier, ignore an instruction from the Economic and Expenditure Reform Committee not to raid funds quarantined for special purposes? Dr K.D. HAMES replied: (1)-(4) Once again the member opposite is taking too much notice of what he reads in the paper. I have to say that I myself have been guilty of that — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Thank you, members! Dr K.D. HAMES : However, I say quite clearly that the money was not taken from commonwealth funds. It was not taken from commonwealth funds. The reporter who wrote the article that said that we did do that failed to ask either me or the health department if commonwealth funds were contained in those special purpose account funds from which the money was taken. It is true that the Economic and Expenditure Reform Committee said that if we needed extra funds at the end of the financial year to pay our bills, we were not to take them from commonwealth funds, and we did not. The SPA funds are a totally different source of funds; they are funds that accumulate over time, some donated, that go into the different hospital funds and are then available for — Mr E.S. Ripper : The donors will be happy! Dr K.D. HAMES : It is available for research and often used for travel, particularly for medical staff who, as part of their contract, are allowed to take trips related to study for their profession. That is what those funds are used for. What did we do? Remember that we are talking $25 million, which is a 0.5 per cent variation in our total budget of roughly $5 billion. We got towards the end of the financial year and nobody — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Dr K.D. HAMES : Nobody in any department has ever been able to land — Mr R.H. Cook interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Kwinana! Dr K.D. HAMES : — exactly on the spot of exactly how much money we have and exactly how much we have spent. We had some bills that needed to be paid. I must say that it was my view that it was very important for us as a government to pay those bills, given that the funds were sitting there in Health—they were not commonwealth funds—and they certainly did not need to be used in that particular month. There is more than $60 million in funds altogether and they are used throughout the year for those purposes to which they are allocated. I took the view that I would rather pay the bills. We were three weeks away from the end of the financial year, and as soon as the financial year ended, those funds were repaid with the corresponding interest. Therefore, I feel that when, as a government, we owe money to small businesses that have provided either a service or a product to government, it is our responsibility to pay those bills on time. I did not feel comfortable with leaving those bills — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Dr K.D. HAMES : — for a further three weeks, particularly because that meant that at the end of their financial year those people would not have had the money that they should have been paid. Sure, I was quite happy to support — An opposition member interjected. Dr K.D. HAMES : I do not remember the exact timing; I think it was about three weeks before the end of the financial year—about the time that I was made aware of that and I was quite comfortable with it. I have to say that I did not know that it was improper, as the Auditor General referred to in his report. We have been slapped on the wrist for that. We will accept the Auditor General’s report. We will not do it again. But I have to say I feel quite comfortable with the fact that I paid the bills when they were due.
(4) Why did the minister, as Deputy Premier, ignore an instruction from the Economic and Expenditure Reform Committee not to raid funds quarantined for special purposes? Dr K.D. HAMES replied: (1)-(4) Once again the member opposite is taking too much notice of what he reads in the paper. I have to say that I myself have been guilty of that — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Thank you, members! Dr K.D. HAMES : However, I say quite clearly that the money was not taken from commonwealth funds. It was not taken from commonwealth funds. The reporter who wrote the article that said that we did do that failed to ask either me or the health department if commonwealth funds were contained in those special purpose account funds from which the money was taken. It is true that the Economic and Expenditure Reform Committee said that if we needed extra funds at the end of the financial year to pay our bills, we were not to take them from commonwealth funds, and we did not. The SPA funds are a totally different source of funds; they are funds that accumulate over time, some donated, that go into the different hospital funds and are then available for — Mr E.S. Ripper : The donors will be happy! Dr K.D. HAMES : It is available for research and often used for travel, particularly for medical staff who, as part of their contract, are allowed to take trips related to study for their profession. That is what those funds are used for. What did we do? Remember that we are talking $25 million, which is a 0.5 per cent variation in our total budget of roughly $5 billion. We got towards the end of the financial year and nobody — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Dr K.D. HAMES : Nobody in any department has ever been able to land — Mr R.H. Cook interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Kwinana! Dr K.D. HAMES : — exactly on the spot of exactly how much money we have and exactly how much we have spent. We had some bills that needed to be paid. I must say that it was my view that it was very important for us as a government to pay those bills, given that the funds were sitting there in Health—they were not commonwealth funds—and they certainly did not need to be used in that particular month. There is more than $60 million in funds altogether and they are used throughout the year for those purposes to which they are allocated. I took the view that I would rather pay the bills. We were three weeks away from the end of the financial year, and as soon as the financial year ended, those funds were repaid with the corresponding interest. Therefore, I feel that when, as a government, we owe money to small businesses that have provided either a service or a product to government, it is our responsibility to pay those bills on time. I did not feel comfortable with leaving those bills — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Dr K.D. HAMES : — for a further three weeks, particularly because that meant that at the end of their financial year those people would not have had the money that they should have been paid. Sure, I was quite happy to support — An opposition member interjected. Dr K.D. HAMES : I do not remember the exact timing; I think it was about three weeks before the end of the financial year—about the time that I was made aware of that and I was quite comfortable with it. I have to say that I did not know that it was improper, as the Auditor General referred to in his report. We have been slapped on the wrist for that. We will accept the Auditor General’s report. We will not do it again. But I have to say I feel quite comfortable with the fact that I paid the bills when they were due.
Dr K.D. HAMES replied: (1)-(4) Once again the member opposite is taking too much notice of what he reads in the paper. I have to say that I myself have been guilty of that — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Thank you, members! Dr K.D. HAMES : However, I say quite clearly that the money was not taken from commonwealth funds. It was not taken from commonwealth funds. The reporter who wrote the article that said that we did do that failed to ask either me or the health department if commonwealth funds were contained in those special purpose account funds from which the money was taken. It is true that the Economic and Expenditure Reform Committee said that if we needed extra funds at the end of the financial year to pay our bills, we were not to take them from commonwealth funds, and we did not. The SPA funds are a totally different source of funds; they are funds that accumulate over time, some donated, that go into the different hospital funds and are then available for — Mr E.S. Ripper : The donors will be happy! Dr K.D. HAMES : It is available for research and often used for travel, particularly for medical staff who, as part of their contract, are allowed to take trips related to study for their profession. That is what those funds are used for. What did we do? Remember that we are talking $25 million, which is a 0.5 per cent variation in our total budget of roughly $5 billion. We got towards the end of the financial year and nobody — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Dr K.D. HAMES : Nobody in any department has ever been able to land — Mr R.H. Cook interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Kwinana! Dr K.D. HAMES : — exactly on the spot of exactly how much money we have and exactly how much we have spent. We had some bills that needed to be paid. I must say that it was my view that it was very important for us as a government to pay those bills, given that the funds were sitting there in Health—they were not commonwealth funds—and they certainly did not need to be used in that particular month. There is more than $60 million in funds altogether and they are used throughout the year for those purposes to which they are allocated. I took the view that I would rather pay the bills. We were three weeks away from the end of the financial year, and as soon as the financial year ended, those funds were repaid with the corresponding interest. Therefore, I feel that when, as a government, we owe money to small businesses that have provided either a service or a product to government, it is our responsibility to pay those bills on time. I did not feel comfortable with leaving those bills — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Dr K.D. HAMES : — for a further three weeks, particularly because that meant that at the end of their financial year those people would not have had the money that they should have been paid. Sure, I was quite happy to support — An opposition member interjected. Dr K.D. HAMES : I do not remember the exact timing; I think it was about three weeks before the end of the financial year—about the time that I was made aware of that and I was quite comfortable with it. I have to say that I did not know that it was improper, as the Auditor General referred to in his report. We have been slapped on the wrist for that. We will accept the Auditor General’s report. We will not do it again. But I have to say I feel quite comfortable with the fact that I paid the bills when they were due.
(1)-(4) Once again the member opposite is taking too much notice of what he reads in the paper. I have to say that I myself have been guilty of that — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Thank you, members! Dr K.D. HAMES : However, I say quite clearly that the money was not taken from commonwealth funds. It was not taken from commonwealth funds. The reporter who wrote the article that said that we did do that failed to ask either me or the health department if commonwealth funds were contained in those special purpose account funds from which the money was taken. It is true that the Economic and Expenditure Reform Committee said that if we needed extra funds at the end of the financial year to pay our bills, we were not to take them from commonwealth funds, and we did not. The SPA funds are a totally different source of funds; they are funds that accumulate over time, some donated, that go into the different hospital funds and are then available for — Mr E.S. Ripper : The donors will be happy! Dr K.D. HAMES : It is available for research and often used for travel, particularly for medical staff who, as part of their contract, are allowed to take trips related to study for their profession. That is what those funds are used for. What did we do? Remember that we are talking $25 million, which is a 0.5 per cent variation in our total budget of roughly $5 billion. We got towards the end of the financial year and nobody — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Dr K.D. HAMES : Nobody in any department has ever been able to land — Mr R.H. Cook interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Kwinana! Dr K.D. HAMES : — exactly on the spot of exactly how much money we have and exactly how much we have spent. We had some bills that needed to be paid. I must say that it was my view that it was very important for us as a government to pay those bills, given that the funds were sitting there in Health—they were not commonwealth funds—and they certainly did not need to be used in that particular month. There is more than $60 million in funds altogether and they are used throughout the year for those purposes to which they are allocated. I took the view that I would rather pay the bills. We were three weeks away from the end of the financial year, and as soon as the financial year ended, those funds were repaid with the corresponding interest. Therefore, I feel that when, as a government, we owe money to small businesses that have provided either a service or a product to government, it is our responsibility to pay those bills on time. I did not feel comfortable with leaving those bills — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Dr K.D. HAMES : — for a further three weeks, particularly because that meant that at the end of their financial year those people would not have had the money that they should have been paid. Sure, I was quite happy to support — An opposition member interjected. Dr K.D. HAMES : I do not remember the exact timing; I think it was about three weeks before the end of the financial year—about the time that I was made aware of that and I was quite comfortable with it. I have to say that I did not know that it was improper, as the Auditor General referred to in his report. We have been slapped on the wrist for that. We will accept the Auditor General’s report. We will not do it again. But I have to say I feel quite comfortable with the fact that I paid the bills when they were due.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Thank you, members! Dr K.D. HAMES : However, I say quite clearly that the money was not taken from commonwealth funds. It was not taken from commonwealth funds. The reporter who wrote the article that said that we did do that failed to ask either me or the health department if commonwealth funds were contained in those special purpose account funds from which the money was taken. It is true that the Economic and Expenditure Reform Committee said that if we needed extra funds at the end of the financial year to pay our bills, we were not to take them from commonwealth funds, and we did not. The SPA funds are a totally different source of funds; they are funds that accumulate over time, some donated, that go into the different hospital funds and are then available for — Mr E.S. Ripper : The donors will be happy! Dr K.D. HAMES : It is available for research and often used for travel, particularly for medical staff who, as part of their contract, are allowed to take trips related to study for their profession. That is what those funds are used for. What did we do? Remember that we are talking $25 million, which is a 0.5 per cent variation in our total budget of roughly $5 billion. We got towards the end of the financial year and nobody — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Dr K.D. HAMES : Nobody in any department has ever been able to land — Mr R.H. Cook interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Kwinana! Dr K.D. HAMES : — exactly on the spot of exactly how much money we have and exactly how much we have spent. We had some bills that needed to be paid. I must say that it was my view that it was very important for us as a government to pay those bills, given that the funds were sitting there in Health—they were not commonwealth funds—and they certainly did not need to be used in that particular month. There is more than $60 million in funds altogether and they are used throughout the year for those purposes to which they are allocated. I took the view that I would rather pay the bills. We were three weeks away from the end of the financial year, and as soon as the financial year ended, those funds were repaid with the corresponding interest. Therefore, I feel that when, as a government, we owe money to small businesses that have provided either a service or a product to government, it is our responsibility to pay those bills on time. I did not feel comfortable with leaving those bills — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Dr K.D. HAMES : — for a further three weeks, particularly because that meant that at the end of their financial year those people would not have had the money that they should have been paid. Sure, I was quite happy to support — An opposition member interjected. Dr K.D. HAMES : I do not remember the exact timing; I think it was about three weeks before the end of the financial year—about the time that I was made aware of that and I was quite comfortable with it. I have to say that I did not know that it was improper, as the Auditor General referred to in his report. We have been slapped on the wrist for that. We will accept the Auditor General’s report. We will not do it again. But I have to say I feel quite comfortable with the fact that I paid the bills when they were due.
The SPEAKER : Thank you, members! Dr K.D. HAMES : However, I say quite clearly that the money was not taken from commonwealth funds. It was not taken from commonwealth funds. The reporter who wrote the article that said that we did do that failed to ask either me or the health department if commonwealth funds were contained in those special purpose account funds from which the money was taken. It is true that the Economic and Expenditure Reform Committee said that if we needed extra funds at the end of the financial year to pay our bills, we were not to take them from commonwealth funds, and we did not. The SPA funds are a totally different source of funds; they are funds that accumulate over time, some donated, that go into the different hospital funds and are then available for — Mr E.S. Ripper : The donors will be happy! Dr K.D. HAMES : It is available for research and often used for travel, particularly for medical staff who, as part of their contract, are allowed to take trips related to study for their profession. That is what those funds are used for. What did we do? Remember that we are talking $25 million, which is a 0.5 per cent variation in our total budget of roughly $5 billion. We got towards the end of the financial year and nobody — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Dr K.D. HAMES : Nobody in any department has ever been able to land — Mr R.H. Cook interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Kwinana! Dr K.D. HAMES : — exactly on the spot of exactly how much money we have and exactly how much we have spent. We had some bills that needed to be paid. I must say that it was my view that it was very important for us as a government to pay those bills, given that the funds were sitting there in Health—they were not commonwealth funds—and they certainly did not need to be used in that particular month. There is more than $60 million in funds altogether and they are used throughout the year for those purposes to which they are allocated. I took the view that I would rather pay the bills. We were three weeks away from the end of the financial year, and as soon as the financial year ended, those funds were repaid with the corresponding interest. Therefore, I feel that when, as a government, we owe money to small businesses that have provided either a service or a product to government, it is our responsibility to pay those bills on time. I did not feel comfortable with leaving those bills — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Dr K.D. HAMES : — for a further three weeks, particularly because that meant that at the end of their financial year those people would not have had the money that they should have been paid. Sure, I was quite happy to support — An opposition member interjected. Dr K.D. HAMES : I do not remember the exact timing; I think it was about three weeks before the end of the financial year—about the time that I was made aware of that and I was quite comfortable with it. I have to say that I did not know that it was improper, as the Auditor General referred to in his report. We have been slapped on the wrist for that. We will accept the Auditor General’s report. We will not do it again. But I have to say I feel quite comfortable with the fact that I paid the bills when they were due.
Dr K.D. HAMES : However, I say quite clearly that the money was not taken from commonwealth funds. It was not taken from commonwealth funds. The reporter who wrote the article that said that we did do that failed to ask either me or the health department if commonwealth funds were contained in those special purpose account funds from which the money was taken. It is true that the Economic and Expenditure Reform Committee said that if we needed extra funds at the end of the financial year to pay our bills, we were not to take them from commonwealth funds, and we did not. The SPA funds are a totally different source of funds; they are funds that accumulate over time, some donated, that go into the different hospital funds and are then available for — Mr E.S. Ripper : The donors will be happy! Dr K.D. HAMES : It is available for research and often used for travel, particularly for medical staff who, as part of their contract, are allowed to take trips related to study for their profession. That is what those funds are used for. What did we do? Remember that we are talking $25 million, which is a 0.5 per cent variation in our total budget of roughly $5 billion. We got towards the end of the financial year and nobody — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Dr K.D. HAMES : Nobody in any department has ever been able to land — Mr R.H. Cook interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Kwinana! Dr K.D. HAMES : — exactly on the spot of exactly how much money we have and exactly how much we have spent. We had some bills that needed to be paid. I must say that it was my view that it was very important for us as a government to pay those bills, given that the funds were sitting there in Health—they were not commonwealth funds—and they certainly did not need to be used in that particular month. There is more than $60 million in funds altogether and they are used throughout the year for those purposes to which they are allocated. I took the view that I would rather pay the bills. We were three weeks away from the end of the financial year, and as soon as the financial year ended, those funds were repaid with the corresponding interest. Therefore, I feel that when, as a government, we owe money to small businesses that have provided either a service or a product to government, it is our responsibility to pay those bills on time. I did not feel comfortable with leaving those bills — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Dr K.D. HAMES : — for a further three weeks, particularly because that meant that at the end of their financial year those people would not have had the money that they should have been paid. Sure, I was quite happy to support — An opposition member interjected. Dr K.D. HAMES : I do not remember the exact timing; I think it was about three weeks before the end of the financial year—about the time that I was made aware of that and I was quite comfortable with it. I have to say that I did not know that it was improper, as the Auditor General referred to in his report. We have been slapped on the wrist for that. We will accept the Auditor General’s report. We will not do it again. But I have to say I feel quite comfortable with the fact that I paid the bills when they were due.
Mr E.S. Ripper : The donors will be happy! Dr K.D. HAMES : It is available for research and often used for travel, particularly for medical staff who, as part of their contract, are allowed to take trips related to study for their profession. That is what those funds are used for. What did we do? Remember that we are talking $25 million, which is a 0.5 per cent variation in our total budget of roughly $5 billion. We got towards the end of the financial year and nobody — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Dr K.D. HAMES : Nobody in any department has ever been able to land — Mr R.H. Cook interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Kwinana! Dr K.D. HAMES : — exactly on the spot of exactly how much money we have and exactly how much we have spent. We had some bills that needed to be paid. I must say that it was my view that it was very important for us as a government to pay those bills, given that the funds were sitting there in Health—they were not commonwealth funds—and they certainly did not need to be used in that particular month. There is more than $60 million in funds altogether and they are used throughout the year for those purposes to which they are allocated. I took the view that I would rather pay the bills. We were three weeks away from the end of the financial year, and as soon as the financial year ended, those funds were repaid with the corresponding interest. Therefore, I feel that when, as a government, we owe money to small businesses that have provided either a service or a product to government, it is our responsibility to pay those bills on time. I did not feel comfortable with leaving those bills — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Dr K.D. HAMES : — for a further three weeks, particularly because that meant that at the end of their financial year those people would not have had the money that they should have been paid. Sure, I was quite happy to support — An opposition member interjected. Dr K.D. HAMES : I do not remember the exact timing; I think it was about three weeks before the end of the financial year—about the time that I was made aware of that and I was quite comfortable with it. I have to say that I did not know that it was improper, as the Auditor General referred to in his report. We have been slapped on the wrist for that. We will accept the Auditor General’s report. We will not do it again. But I have to say I feel quite comfortable with the fact that I paid the bills when they were due.
Dr K.D. HAMES : It is available for research and often used for travel, particularly for medical staff who, as part of their contract, are allowed to take trips related to study for their profession. That is what those funds are used for. What did we do? Remember that we are talking $25 million, which is a 0.5 per cent variation in our total budget of roughly $5 billion. We got towards the end of the financial year and nobody — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Dr K.D. HAMES : Nobody in any department has ever been able to land — Mr R.H. Cook interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Kwinana! Dr K.D. HAMES : — exactly on the spot of exactly how much money we have and exactly how much we have spent. We had some bills that needed to be paid. I must say that it was my view that it was very important for us as a government to pay those bills, given that the funds were sitting there in Health—they were not commonwealth funds—and they certainly did not need to be used in that particular month. There is more than $60 million in funds altogether and they are used throughout the year for those purposes to which they are allocated. I took the view that I would rather pay the bills. We were three weeks away from the end of the financial year, and as soon as the financial year ended, those funds were repaid with the corresponding interest. Therefore, I feel that when, as a government, we owe money to small businesses that have provided either a service or a product to government, it is our responsibility to pay those bills on time. I did not feel comfortable with leaving those bills — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Dr K.D. HAMES : — for a further three weeks, particularly because that meant that at the end of their financial year those people would not have had the money that they should have been paid. Sure, I was quite happy to support — An opposition member interjected. Dr K.D. HAMES : I do not remember the exact timing; I think it was about three weeks before the end of the financial year—about the time that I was made aware of that and I was quite comfortable with it. I have to say that I did not know that it was improper, as the Auditor General referred to in his report. We have been slapped on the wrist for that. We will accept the Auditor General’s report. We will not do it again. But I have to say I feel quite comfortable with the fact that I paid the bills when they were due.
What did we do? Remember that we are talking $25 million, which is a 0.5 per cent variation in our total budget of roughly $5 billion. We got towards the end of the financial year and nobody — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Dr K.D. HAMES : Nobody in any department has ever been able to land — Mr R.H. Cook interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Kwinana! Dr K.D. HAMES : — exactly on the spot of exactly how much money we have and exactly how much we have spent. We had some bills that needed to be paid. I must say that it was my view that it was very important for us as a government to pay those bills, given that the funds were sitting there in Health—they were not commonwealth funds—and they certainly did not need to be used in that particular month. There is more than $60 million in funds altogether and they are used throughout the year for those purposes to which they are allocated. I took the view that I would rather pay the bills. We were three weeks away from the end of the financial year, and as soon as the financial year ended, those funds were repaid with the corresponding interest. Therefore, I feel that when, as a government, we owe money to small businesses that have provided either a service or a product to government, it is our responsibility to pay those bills on time. I did not feel comfortable with leaving those bills — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Dr K.D. HAMES : — for a further three weeks, particularly because that meant that at the end of their financial year those people would not have had the money that they should have been paid. Sure, I was quite happy to support — An opposition member interjected. Dr K.D. HAMES : I do not remember the exact timing; I think it was about three weeks before the end of the financial year—about the time that I was made aware of that and I was quite comfortable with it. I have to say that I did not know that it was improper, as the Auditor General referred to in his report. We have been slapped on the wrist for that. We will accept the Auditor General’s report. We will not do it again. But I have to say I feel quite comfortable with the fact that I paid the bills when they were due.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Dr K.D. HAMES : Nobody in any department has ever been able to land — Mr R.H. Cook interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Kwinana! Dr K.D. HAMES : — exactly on the spot of exactly how much money we have and exactly how much we have spent. We had some bills that needed to be paid. I must say that it was my view that it was very important for us as a government to pay those bills, given that the funds were sitting there in Health—they were not commonwealth funds—and they certainly did not need to be used in that particular month. There is more than $60 million in funds altogether and they are used throughout the year for those purposes to which they are allocated. I took the view that I would rather pay the bills. We were three weeks away from the end of the financial year, and as soon as the financial year ended, those funds were repaid with the corresponding interest. Therefore, I feel that when, as a government, we owe money to small businesses that have provided either a service or a product to government, it is our responsibility to pay those bills on time. I did not feel comfortable with leaving those bills — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Dr K.D. HAMES : — for a further three weeks, particularly because that meant that at the end of their financial year those people would not have had the money that they should have been paid. Sure, I was quite happy to support — An opposition member interjected. Dr K.D. HAMES : I do not remember the exact timing; I think it was about three weeks before the end of the financial year—about the time that I was made aware of that and I was quite comfortable with it. I have to say that I did not know that it was improper, as the Auditor General referred to in his report. We have been slapped on the wrist for that. We will accept the Auditor General’s report. We will not do it again. But I have to say I feel quite comfortable with the fact that I paid the bills when they were due.
The SPEAKER : Members! Dr K.D. HAMES : Nobody in any department has ever been able to land — Mr R.H. Cook interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Kwinana! Dr K.D. HAMES : — exactly on the spot of exactly how much money we have and exactly how much we have spent. We had some bills that needed to be paid. I must say that it was my view that it was very important for us as a government to pay those bills, given that the funds were sitting there in Health—they were not commonwealth funds—and they certainly did not need to be used in that particular month. There is more than $60 million in funds altogether and they are used throughout the year for those purposes to which they are allocated. I took the view that I would rather pay the bills. We were three weeks away from the end of the financial year, and as soon as the financial year ended, those funds were repaid with the corresponding interest. Therefore, I feel that when, as a government, we owe money to small businesses that have provided either a service or a product to government, it is our responsibility to pay those bills on time. I did not feel comfortable with leaving those bills — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Dr K.D. HAMES : — for a further three weeks, particularly because that meant that at the end of their financial year those people would not have had the money that they should have been paid. Sure, I was quite happy to support — An opposition member interjected. Dr K.D. HAMES : I do not remember the exact timing; I think it was about three weeks before the end of the financial year—about the time that I was made aware of that and I was quite comfortable with it. I have to say that I did not know that it was improper, as the Auditor General referred to in his report. We have been slapped on the wrist for that. We will accept the Auditor General’s report. We will not do it again. But I have to say I feel quite comfortable with the fact that I paid the bills when they were due.
Dr K.D. HAMES : Nobody in any department has ever been able to land — Mr R.H. Cook interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Kwinana! Dr K.D. HAMES : — exactly on the spot of exactly how much money we have and exactly how much we have spent. We had some bills that needed to be paid. I must say that it was my view that it was very important for us as a government to pay those bills, given that the funds were sitting there in Health—they were not commonwealth funds—and they certainly did not need to be used in that particular month. There is more than $60 million in funds altogether and they are used throughout the year for those purposes to which they are allocated. I took the view that I would rather pay the bills. We were three weeks away from the end of the financial year, and as soon as the financial year ended, those funds were repaid with the corresponding interest. Therefore, I feel that when, as a government, we owe money to small businesses that have provided either a service or a product to government, it is our responsibility to pay those bills on time. I did not feel comfortable with leaving those bills — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Dr K.D. HAMES : — for a further three weeks, particularly because that meant that at the end of their financial year those people would not have had the money that they should have been paid. Sure, I was quite happy to support — An opposition member interjected. Dr K.D. HAMES : I do not remember the exact timing; I think it was about three weeks before the end of the financial year—about the time that I was made aware of that and I was quite comfortable with it. I have to say that I did not know that it was improper, as the Auditor General referred to in his report. We have been slapped on the wrist for that. We will accept the Auditor General’s report. We will not do it again. But I have to say I feel quite comfortable with the fact that I paid the bills when they were due.
Mr R.H. Cook interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Kwinana! Dr K.D. HAMES : — exactly on the spot of exactly how much money we have and exactly how much we have spent. We had some bills that needed to be paid. I must say that it was my view that it was very important for us as a government to pay those bills, given that the funds were sitting there in Health—they were not commonwealth funds—and they certainly did not need to be used in that particular month. There is more than $60 million in funds altogether and they are used throughout the year for those purposes to which they are allocated. I took the view that I would rather pay the bills. We were three weeks away from the end of the financial year, and as soon as the financial year ended, those funds were repaid with the corresponding interest. Therefore, I feel that when, as a government, we owe money to small businesses that have provided either a service or a product to government, it is our responsibility to pay those bills on time. I did not feel comfortable with leaving those bills — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Dr K.D. HAMES : — for a further three weeks, particularly because that meant that at the end of their financial year those people would not have had the money that they should have been paid. Sure, I was quite happy to support — An opposition member interjected. Dr K.D. HAMES : I do not remember the exact timing; I think it was about three weeks before the end of the financial year—about the time that I was made aware of that and I was quite comfortable with it. I have to say that I did not know that it was improper, as the Auditor General referred to in his report. We have been slapped on the wrist for that. We will accept the Auditor General’s report. We will not do it again. But I have to say I feel quite comfortable with the fact that I paid the bills when they were due.
The SPEAKER : Member for Kwinana! Dr K.D. HAMES : — exactly on the spot of exactly how much money we have and exactly how much we have spent. We had some bills that needed to be paid. I must say that it was my view that it was very important for us as a government to pay those bills, given that the funds were sitting there in Health—they were not commonwealth funds—and they certainly did not need to be used in that particular month. There is more than $60 million in funds altogether and they are used throughout the year for those purposes to which they are allocated. I took the view that I would rather pay the bills. We were three weeks away from the end of the financial year, and as soon as the financial year ended, those funds were repaid with the corresponding interest. Therefore, I feel that when, as a government, we owe money to small businesses that have provided either a service or a product to government, it is our responsibility to pay those bills on time. I did not feel comfortable with leaving those bills — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Dr K.D. HAMES : — for a further three weeks, particularly because that meant that at the end of their financial year those people would not have had the money that they should have been paid. Sure, I was quite happy to support — An opposition member interjected. Dr K.D. HAMES : I do not remember the exact timing; I think it was about three weeks before the end of the financial year—about the time that I was made aware of that and I was quite comfortable with it. I have to say that I did not know that it was improper, as the Auditor General referred to in his report. We have been slapped on the wrist for that. We will accept the Auditor General’s report. We will not do it again. But I have to say I feel quite comfortable with the fact that I paid the bills when they were due.
Dr K.D. HAMES : — exactly on the spot of exactly how much money we have and exactly how much we have spent. We had some bills that needed to be paid. I must say that it was my view that it was very important for us as a government to pay those bills, given that the funds were sitting there in Health—they were not commonwealth funds—and they certainly did not need to be used in that particular month. There is more than $60 million in funds altogether and they are used throughout the year for those purposes to which they are allocated. I took the view that I would rather pay the bills. We were three weeks away from the end of the financial year, and as soon as the financial year ended, those funds were repaid with the corresponding interest. Therefore, I feel that when, as a government, we owe money to small businesses that have provided either a service or a product to government, it is our responsibility to pay those bills on time. I did not feel comfortable with leaving those bills — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Dr K.D. HAMES : — for a further three weeks, particularly because that meant that at the end of their financial year those people would not have had the money that they should have been paid. Sure, I was quite happy to support — An opposition member interjected. Dr K.D. HAMES : I do not remember the exact timing; I think it was about three weeks before the end of the financial year—about the time that I was made aware of that and I was quite comfortable with it. I have to say that I did not know that it was improper, as the Auditor General referred to in his report. We have been slapped on the wrist for that. We will accept the Auditor General’s report. We will not do it again. But I have to say I feel quite comfortable with the fact that I paid the bills when they were due.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Dr K.D. HAMES : — for a further three weeks, particularly because that meant that at the end of their financial year those people would not have had the money that they should have been paid. Sure, I was quite happy to support — An opposition member interjected. Dr K.D. HAMES : I do not remember the exact timing; I think it was about three weeks before the end of the financial year—about the time that I was made aware of that and I was quite comfortable with it. I have to say that I did not know that it was improper, as the Auditor General referred to in his report. We have been slapped on the wrist for that. We will accept the Auditor General’s report. We will not do it again. But I have to say I feel quite comfortable with the fact that I paid the bills when they were due.
The SPEAKER : Members! Dr K.D. HAMES : — for a further three weeks, particularly because that meant that at the end of their financial year those people would not have had the money that they should have been paid. Sure, I was quite happy to support — An opposition member interjected. Dr K.D. HAMES : I do not remember the exact timing; I think it was about three weeks before the end of the financial year—about the time that I was made aware of that and I was quite comfortable with it. I have to say that I did not know that it was improper, as the Auditor General referred to in his report. We have been slapped on the wrist for that. We will accept the Auditor General’s report. We will not do it again. But I have to say I feel quite comfortable with the fact that I paid the bills when they were due.
Dr K.D. HAMES : — for a further three weeks, particularly because that meant that at the end of their financial year those people would not have had the money that they should have been paid. Sure, I was quite happy to support — An opposition member interjected. Dr K.D. HAMES : I do not remember the exact timing; I think it was about three weeks before the end of the financial year—about the time that I was made aware of that and I was quite comfortable with it. I have to say that I did not know that it was improper, as the Auditor General referred to in his report. We have been slapped on the wrist for that. We will accept the Auditor General’s report. We will not do it again. But I have to say I feel quite comfortable with the fact that I paid the bills when they were due.
An opposition member interjected. Dr K.D. HAMES : I do not remember the exact timing; I think it was about three weeks before the end of the financial year—about the time that I was made aware of that and I was quite comfortable with it. I have to say that I did not know that it was improper, as the Auditor General referred to in his report. We have been slapped on the wrist for that. We will accept the Auditor General’s report. We will not do it again. But I have to say I feel quite comfortable with the fact that I paid the bills when they were due.
Dr K.D. HAMES : I do not remember the exact timing; I think it was about three weeks before the end of the financial year—about the time that I was made aware of that and I was quite comfortable with it. I have to say that I did not know that it was improper, as the Auditor General referred to in his report. We have been slapped on the wrist for that. We will accept the Auditor General’s report. We will not do it again. But I have to say I feel quite comfortable with the fact that I paid the bills when they were due.
(1) When was the minister first made aware of his department’s intention to use these funds? (2) Was the minister aware of the explicit advice from the Economic and Expenditure Reform Committee that commonwealth funds were not to be used for anything other than the specified purpose? (3) Given the highly unusual nature of those fund transfers, why did the minister not seek the advice of the Treasurer or his department? (4) Why did the minister, as Deputy Premier, ignore an instruction from the Economic and Expenditure Reform Committee not to raid funds quarantined for special purposes? Dr K.D. HAMES replied: (1)-(4) Once again the member opposite is taking too much notice of what he reads in the paper. I have to say that I myself have been guilty of that — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Thank you, members! Dr K.D. HAMES : However, I say quite clearly that the money was not taken from commonwealth funds. It was not taken from commonwealth funds. The reporter who wrote the article that said that we did do that failed to ask either me or the health department if commonwealth funds were contained in those special purpose account funds from which the money was taken. It is true that the Economic and Expenditure Reform Committee said that if we needed extra funds at the end of the financial year to pay our bills, we were not to take them from commonwealth funds, and we did not. The SPA funds are a totally different source of funds; they are funds that accumulate over time, some donated, that go into the different hospital funds and are then available for — Mr E.S. Ripper : The donors will be happy! Dr K.D. HAMES : It is available for research and often used for travel, particularly for medical staff who, as part of their contract, are allowed to take trips related to study for their profession. That is what those funds are used for. What did we do? Remember that we are talking $25 million, which is a 0.5 per cent variation in our total budget of roughly $5 billion. We got towards the end of the financial year and nobody — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Dr K.D. HAMES : Nobody in any department has ever been able to land — Mr R.H. Cook interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Kwinana! Dr K.D. HAMES : — exactly on the spot of exactly how much money we have and exactly how much we have spent. We had some bills that needed to be paid. I must say that it was my view that it was very important for us as a government to pay those bills, given that the funds were sitting there in Health—they were not commonwealth funds—and they certainly did not need to be used in that particular month. There is more than $60 million in funds altogether and they are used throughout the year for those purposes to which they are allocated. I took the view that I would rather pay the bills. We were three weeks away from the end of the financial year, and as soon as the financial year ended, those funds were repaid with the corresponding interest. Therefore, I feel that when, as a government, we owe money to small businesses that have provided either a service or a product to government, it is our responsibility to pay those bills on time. I did not feel comfortable with leaving those bills — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Dr K.D. HAMES : — for a further three weeks, particularly because that meant that at the end of their financial year those people would not have had the money that they should have been paid. Sure, I was quite happy to support — An opposition member interjected. Dr K.D. HAMES : I do not remember the exact timing; I think it was about three weeks before the end of the financial year—about the time that I was made aware of that and I was quite comfortable with it. I have to say that I did not know that it was improper, as the Auditor General referred to in his report. We have been slapped on the wrist for that. We will accept the Auditor General’s report. We will not do it again. But I have to say I feel quite comfortable with the fact that I paid the bills when they were due.
(2) Was the minister aware of the explicit advice from the Economic and Expenditure Reform Committee that commonwealth funds were not to be used for anything other than the specified purpose? (3) Given the highly unusual nature of those fund transfers, why did the minister not seek the advice of the Treasurer or his department? (4) Why did the minister, as Deputy Premier, ignore an instruction from the Economic and Expenditure Reform Committee not to raid funds quarantined for special purposes? Dr K.D. HAMES replied: (1)-(4) Once again the member opposite is taking too much notice of what he reads in the paper. I have to say that I myself have been guilty of that — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Thank you, members! Dr K.D. HAMES : However, I say quite clearly that the money was not taken from commonwealth funds. It was not taken from commonwealth funds. The reporter who wrote the article that said that we did do that failed to ask either me or the health department if commonwealth funds were contained in those special purpose account funds from which the money was taken. It is true that the Economic and Expenditure Reform Committee said that if we needed extra funds at the end of the financial year to pay our bills, we were not to take them from commonwealth funds, and we did not. The SPA funds are a totally different source of funds; they are funds that accumulate over time, some donated, that go into the different hospital funds and are then available for — Mr E.S. Ripper : The donors will be happy! Dr K.D. HAMES : It is available for research and often used for travel, particularly for medical staff who, as part of their contract, are allowed to take trips related to study for their profession. That is what those funds are used for. What did we do? Remember that we are talking $25 million, which is a 0.5 per cent variation in our total budget of roughly $5 billion. We got towards the end of the financial year and nobody — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Dr K.D. HAMES : Nobody in any department has ever been able to land — Mr R.H. Cook interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Kwinana! Dr K.D. HAMES : — exactly on the spot of exactly how much money we have and exactly how much we have spent. We had some bills that needed to be paid. I must say that it was my view that it was very important for us as a government to pay those bills, given that the funds were sitting there in Health—they were not commonwealth funds—and they certainly did not need to be used in that particular month. There is more than $60 million in funds altogether and they are used throughout the year for those purposes to which they are allocated. I took the view that I would rather pay the bills. We were three weeks away from the end of the financial year, and as soon as the financial year ended, those funds were repaid with the corresponding interest. Therefore, I feel that when, as a government, we owe money to small businesses that have provided either a service or a product to government, it is our responsibility to pay those bills on time. I did not feel comfortable with leaving those bills — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Dr K.D. HAMES : — for a further three weeks, particularly because that meant that at the end of their financial year those people would not have had the money that they should have been paid. Sure, I was quite happy to support — An opposition member interjected. Dr K.D. HAMES : I do not remember the exact timing; I think it was about three weeks before the end of the financial year—about the time that I was made aware of that and I was quite comfortable with it. I have to say that I did not know that it was improper, as the Auditor General referred to in his report. We have been slapped on the wrist for that. We will accept the Auditor General’s report. We will not do it again. But I have to say I feel quite comfortable with the fact that I paid the bills when they were due.
(3) Given the highly unusual nature of those fund transfers, why did the minister not seek the advice of the Treasurer or his department? (4) Why did the minister, as Deputy Premier, ignore an instruction from the Economic and Expenditure Reform Committee not to raid funds quarantined for special purposes? Dr K.D. HAMES replied: (1)-(4) Once again the member opposite is taking too much notice of what he reads in the paper. I have to say that I myself have been guilty of that — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Thank you, members! Dr K.D. HAMES : However, I say quite clearly that the money was not taken from commonwealth funds. It was not taken from commonwealth funds. The reporter who wrote the article that said that we did do that failed to ask either me or the health department if commonwealth funds were contained in those special purpose account funds from which the money was taken. It is true that the Economic and Expenditure Reform Committee said that if we needed extra funds at the end of the financial year to pay our bills, we were not to take them from commonwealth funds, and we did not. The SPA funds are a totally different source of funds; they are funds that accumulate over time, some donated, that go into the different hospital funds and are then available for — Mr E.S. Ripper : The donors will be happy! Dr K.D. HAMES : It is available for research and often used for travel, particularly for medical staff who, as part of their contract, are allowed to take trips related to study for their profession. That is what those funds are used for. What did we do? Remember that we are talking $25 million, which is a 0.5 per cent variation in our total budget of roughly $5 billion. We got towards the end of the financial year and nobody — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Dr K.D. HAMES : Nobody in any department has ever been able to land — Mr R.H. Cook interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Kwinana! Dr K.D. HAMES : — exactly on the spot of exactly how much money we have and exactly how much we have spent. We had some bills that needed to be paid. I must say that it was my view that it was very important for us as a government to pay those bills, given that the funds were sitting there in Health—they were not commonwealth funds—and they certainly did not need to be used in that particular month. There is more than $60 million in funds altogether and they are used throughout the year for those purposes to which they are allocated. I took the view that I would rather pay the bills. We were three weeks away from the end of the financial year, and as soon as the financial year ended, those funds were repaid with the corresponding interest. Therefore, I feel that when, as a government, we owe money to small businesses that have provided either a service or a product to government, it is our responsibility to pay those bills on time. I did not feel comfortable with leaving those bills — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Dr K.D. HAMES : — for a further three weeks, particularly because that meant that at the end of their financial year those people would not have had the money that they should have been paid. Sure, I was quite happy to support — An opposition member interjected. Dr K.D. HAMES : I do not remember the exact timing; I think it was about three weeks before the end of the financial year—about the time that I was made aware of that and I was quite comfortable with it. I have to say that I did not know that it was improper, as the Auditor General referred to in his report. We have been slapped on the wrist for that. We will accept the Auditor General’s report. We will not do it again. But I have to say I feel quite comfortable with the fact that I paid the bills when they were due.
(4) Why did the minister, as Deputy Premier, ignore an instruction from the Economic and Expenditure Reform Committee not to raid funds quarantined for special purposes? Dr K.D. HAMES replied: (1)-(4) Once again the member opposite is taking too much notice of what he reads in the paper. I have to say that I myself have been guilty of that — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Thank you, members! Dr K.D. HAMES : However, I say quite clearly that the money was not taken from commonwealth funds. It was not taken from commonwealth funds. The reporter who wrote the article that said that we did do that failed to ask either me or the health department if commonwealth funds were contained in those special purpose account funds from which the money was taken. It is true that the Economic and Expenditure Reform Committee said that if we needed extra funds at the end of the financial year to pay our bills, we were not to take them from commonwealth funds, and we did not. The SPA funds are a totally different source of funds; they are funds that accumulate over time, some donated, that go into the different hospital funds and are then available for — Mr E.S. Ripper : The donors will be happy! Dr K.D. HAMES : It is available for research and often used for travel, particularly for medical staff who, as part of their contract, are allowed to take trips related to study for their profession. That is what those funds are used for. What did we do? Remember that we are talking $25 million, which is a 0.5 per cent variation in our total budget of roughly $5 billion. We got towards the end of the financial year and nobody — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Dr K.D. HAMES : Nobody in any department has ever been able to land — Mr R.H. Cook interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Kwinana! Dr K.D. HAMES : — exactly on the spot of exactly how much money we have and exactly how much we have spent. We had some bills that needed to be paid. I must say that it was my view that it was very important for us as a government to pay those bills, given that the funds were sitting there in Health—they were not commonwealth funds—and they certainly did not need to be used in that particular month. There is more than $60 million in funds altogether and they are used throughout the year for those purposes to which they are allocated. I took the view that I would rather pay the bills. We were three weeks away from the end of the financial year, and as soon as the financial year ended, those funds were repaid with the corresponding interest. Therefore, I feel that when, as a government, we owe money to small businesses that have provided either a service or a product to government, it is our responsibility to pay those bills on time. I did not feel comfortable with leaving those bills — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Dr K.D. HAMES : — for a further three weeks, particularly because that meant that at the end of their financial year those people would not have had the money that they should have been paid. Sure, I was quite happy to support — An opposition member interjected. Dr K.D. HAMES : I do not remember the exact timing; I think it was about three weeks before the end of the financial year—about the time that I was made aware of that and I was quite comfortable with it. I have to say that I did not know that it was improper, as the Auditor General referred to in his report. We have been slapped on the wrist for that. We will accept the Auditor General’s report. We will not do it again. But I have to say I feel quite comfortable with the fact that I paid the bills when they were due.
Dr K.D. HAMES replied: (1)-(4) Once again the member opposite is taking too much notice of what he reads in the paper. I have to say that I myself have been guilty of that — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Thank you, members! Dr K.D. HAMES : However, I say quite clearly that the money was not taken from commonwealth funds. It was not taken from commonwealth funds. The reporter who wrote the article that said that we did do that failed to ask either me or the health department if commonwealth funds were contained in those special purpose account funds from which the money was taken. It is true that the Economic and Expenditure Reform Committee said that if we needed extra funds at the end of the financial year to pay our bills, we were not to take them from commonwealth funds, and we did not. The SPA funds are a totally different source of funds; they are funds that accumulate over time, some donated, that go into the different hospital funds and are then available for — Mr E.S. Ripper : The donors will be happy! Dr K.D. HAMES : It is available for research and often used for travel, particularly for medical staff who, as part of their contract, are allowed to take trips related to study for their profession. That is what those funds are used for. What did we do? Remember that we are talking $25 million, which is a 0.5 per cent variation in our total budget of roughly $5 billion. We got towards the end of the financial year and nobody — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Dr K.D. HAMES : Nobody in any department has ever been able to land — Mr R.H. Cook interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Kwinana! Dr K.D. HAMES : — exactly on the spot of exactly how much money we have and exactly how much we have spent. We had some bills that needed to be paid. I must say that it was my view that it was very important for us as a government to pay those bills, given that the funds were sitting there in Health—they were not commonwealth funds—and they certainly did not need to be used in that particular month. There is more than $60 million in funds altogether and they are used throughout the year for those purposes to which they are allocated. I took the view that I would rather pay the bills. We were three weeks away from the end of the financial year, and as soon as the financial year ended, those funds were repaid with the corresponding interest. Therefore, I feel that when, as a government, we owe money to small businesses that have provided either a service or a product to government, it is our responsibility to pay those bills on time. I did not feel comfortable with leaving those bills — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Dr K.D. HAMES : — for a further three weeks, particularly because that meant that at the end of their financial year those people would not have had the money that they should have been paid. Sure, I was quite happy to support — An opposition member interjected. Dr K.D. HAMES : I do not remember the exact timing; I think it was about three weeks before the end of the financial year—about the time that I was made aware of that and I was quite comfortable with it. I have to say that I did not know that it was improper, as the Auditor General referred to in his report. We have been slapped on the wrist for that. We will accept the Auditor General’s report. We will not do it again. But I have to say I feel quite comfortable with the fact that I paid the bills when they were due.
(1)-(4) Once again the member opposite is taking too much notice of what he reads in the paper. I have to say that I myself have been guilty of that — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Thank you, members! Dr K.D. HAMES : However, I say quite clearly that the money was not taken from commonwealth funds. It was not taken from commonwealth funds. The reporter who wrote the article that said that we did do that failed to ask either me or the health department if commonwealth funds were contained in those special purpose account funds from which the money was taken. It is true that the Economic and Expenditure Reform Committee said that if we needed extra funds at the end of the financial year to pay our bills, we were not to take them from commonwealth funds, and we did not. The SPA funds are a totally different source of funds; they are funds that accumulate over time, some donated, that go into the different hospital funds and are then available for — Mr E.S. Ripper : The donors will be happy! Dr K.D. HAMES : It is available for research and often used for travel, particularly for medical staff who, as part of their contract, are allowed to take trips related to study for their profession. That is what those funds are used for. What did we do? Remember that we are talking $25 million, which is a 0.5 per cent variation in our total budget of roughly $5 billion. We got towards the end of the financial year and nobody — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Dr K.D. HAMES : Nobody in any department has ever been able to land — Mr R.H. Cook interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Kwinana! Dr K.D. HAMES : — exactly on the spot of exactly how much money we have and exactly how much we have spent. We had some bills that needed to be paid. I must say that it was my view that it was very important for us as a government to pay those bills, given that the funds were sitting there in Health—they were not commonwealth funds—and they certainly did not need to be used in that particular month. There is more than $60 million in funds altogether and they are used throughout the year for those purposes to which they are allocated. I took the view that I would rather pay the bills. We were three weeks away from the end of the financial year, and as soon as the financial year ended, those funds were repaid with the corresponding interest. Therefore, I feel that when, as a government, we owe money to small businesses that have provided either a service or a product to government, it is our responsibility to pay those bills on time. I did not feel comfortable with leaving those bills — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Dr K.D. HAMES : — for a further three weeks, particularly because that meant that at the end of their financial year those people would not have had the money that they should have been paid. Sure, I was quite happy to support — An opposition member interjected. Dr K.D. HAMES : I do not remember the exact timing; I think it was about three weeks before the end of the financial year—about the time that I was made aware of that and I was quite comfortable with it. I have to say that I did not know that it was improper, as the Auditor General referred to in his report. We have been slapped on the wrist for that. We will accept the Auditor General’s report. We will not do it again. But I have to say I feel quite comfortable with the fact that I paid the bills when they were due.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Thank you, members! Dr K.D. HAMES : However, I say quite clearly that the money was not taken from commonwealth funds. It was not taken from commonwealth funds. The reporter who wrote the article that said that we did do that failed to ask either me or the health department if commonwealth funds were contained in those special purpose account funds from which the money was taken. It is true that the Economic and Expenditure Reform Committee said that if we needed extra funds at the end of the financial year to pay our bills, we were not to take them from commonwealth funds, and we did not. The SPA funds are a totally different source of funds; they are funds that accumulate over time, some donated, that go into the different hospital funds and are then available for — Mr E.S. Ripper : The donors will be happy! Dr K.D. HAMES : It is available for research and often used for travel, particularly for medical staff who, as part of their contract, are allowed to take trips related to study for their profession. That is what those funds are used for. What did we do? Remember that we are talking $25 million, which is a 0.5 per cent variation in our total budget of roughly $5 billion. We got towards the end of the financial year and nobody — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Dr K.D. HAMES : Nobody in any department has ever been able to land — Mr R.H. Cook interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Kwinana! Dr K.D. HAMES : — exactly on the spot of exactly how much money we have and exactly how much we have spent. We had some bills that needed to be paid. I must say that it was my view that it was very important for us as a government to pay those bills, given that the funds were sitting there in Health—they were not commonwealth funds—and they certainly did not need to be used in that particular month. There is more than $60 million in funds altogether and they are used throughout the year for those purposes to which they are allocated. I took the view that I would rather pay the bills. We were three weeks away from the end of the financial year, and as soon as the financial year ended, those funds were repaid with the corresponding interest. Therefore, I feel that when, as a government, we owe money to small businesses that have provided either a service or a product to government, it is our responsibility to pay those bills on time. I did not feel comfortable with leaving those bills — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Dr K.D. HAMES : — for a further three weeks, particularly because that meant that at the end of their financial year those people would not have had the money that they should have been paid. Sure, I was quite happy to support — An opposition member interjected. Dr K.D. HAMES : I do not remember the exact timing; I think it was about three weeks before the end of the financial year—about the time that I was made aware of that and I was quite comfortable with it. I have to say that I did not know that it was improper, as the Auditor General referred to in his report. We have been slapped on the wrist for that. We will accept the Auditor General’s report. We will not do it again. But I have to say I feel quite comfortable with the fact that I paid the bills when they were due.
The SPEAKER : Thank you, members! Dr K.D. HAMES : However, I say quite clearly that the money was not taken from commonwealth funds. It was not taken from commonwealth funds. The reporter who wrote the article that said that we did do that failed to ask either me or the health department if commonwealth funds were contained in those special purpose account funds from which the money was taken. It is true that the Economic and Expenditure Reform Committee said that if we needed extra funds at the end of the financial year to pay our bills, we were not to take them from commonwealth funds, and we did not. The SPA funds are a totally different source of funds; they are funds that accumulate over time, some donated, that go into the different hospital funds and are then available for — Mr E.S. Ripper : The donors will be happy! Dr K.D. HAMES : It is available for research and often used for travel, particularly for medical staff who, as part of their contract, are allowed to take trips related to study for their profession. That is what those funds are used for. What did we do? Remember that we are talking $25 million, which is a 0.5 per cent variation in our total budget of roughly $5 billion. We got towards the end of the financial year and nobody — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Dr K.D. HAMES : Nobody in any department has ever been able to land — Mr R.H. Cook interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Kwinana! Dr K.D. HAMES : — exactly on the spot of exactly how much money we have and exactly how much we have spent. We had some bills that needed to be paid. I must say that it was my view that it was very important for us as a government to pay those bills, given that the funds were sitting there in Health—they were not commonwealth funds—and they certainly did not need to be used in that particular month. There is more than $60 million in funds altogether and they are used throughout the year for those purposes to which they are allocated. I took the view that I would rather pay the bills. We were three weeks away from the end of the financial year, and as soon as the financial year ended, those funds were repaid with the corresponding interest. Therefore, I feel that when, as a government, we owe money to small businesses that have provided either a service or a product to government, it is our responsibility to pay those bills on time. I did not feel comfortable with leaving those bills — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Dr K.D. HAMES : — for a further three weeks, particularly because that meant that at the end of their financial year those people would not have had the money that they should have been paid. Sure, I was quite happy to support — An opposition member interjected. Dr K.D. HAMES : I do not remember the exact timing; I think it was about three weeks before the end of the financial year—about the time that I was made aware of that and I was quite comfortable with it. I have to say that I did not know that it was improper, as the Auditor General referred to in his report. We have been slapped on the wrist for that. We will accept the Auditor General’s report. We will not do it again. But I have to say I feel quite comfortable with the fact that I paid the bills when they were due.
Dr K.D. HAMES : However, I say quite clearly that the money was not taken from commonwealth funds. It was not taken from commonwealth funds. The reporter who wrote the article that said that we did do that failed to ask either me or the health department if commonwealth funds were contained in those special purpose account funds from which the money was taken. It is true that the Economic and Expenditure Reform Committee said that if we needed extra funds at the end of the financial year to pay our bills, we were not to take them from commonwealth funds, and we did not. The SPA funds are a totally different source of funds; they are funds that accumulate over time, some donated, that go into the different hospital funds and are then available for — Mr E.S. Ripper : The donors will be happy! Dr K.D. HAMES : It is available for research and often used for travel, particularly for medical staff who, as part of their contract, are allowed to take trips related to study for their profession. That is what those funds are used for. What did we do? Remember that we are talking $25 million, which is a 0.5 per cent variation in our total budget of roughly $5 billion. We got towards the end of the financial year and nobody — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Dr K.D. HAMES : Nobody in any department has ever been able to land — Mr R.H. Cook interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Kwinana! Dr K.D. HAMES : — exactly on the spot of exactly how much money we have and exactly how much we have spent. We had some bills that needed to be paid. I must say that it was my view that it was very important for us as a government to pay those bills, given that the funds were sitting there in Health—they were not commonwealth funds—and they certainly did not need to be used in that particular month. There is more than $60 million in funds altogether and they are used throughout the year for those purposes to which they are allocated. I took the view that I would rather pay the bills. We were three weeks away from the end of the financial year, and as soon as the financial year ended, those funds were repaid with the corresponding interest. Therefore, I feel that when, as a government, we owe money to small businesses that have provided either a service or a product to government, it is our responsibility to pay those bills on time. I did not feel comfortable with leaving those bills — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Dr K.D. HAMES : — for a further three weeks, particularly because that meant that at the end of their financial year those people would not have had the money that they should have been paid. Sure, I was quite happy to support — An opposition member interjected. Dr K.D. HAMES : I do not remember the exact timing; I think it was about three weeks before the end of the financial year—about the time that I was made aware of that and I was quite comfortable with it. I have to say that I did not know that it was improper, as the Auditor General referred to in his report. We have been slapped on the wrist for that. We will accept the Auditor General’s report. We will not do it again. But I have to say I feel quite comfortable with the fact that I paid the bills when they were due.
Mr E.S. Ripper : The donors will be happy! Dr K.D. HAMES : It is available for research and often used for travel, particularly for medical staff who, as part of their contract, are allowed to take trips related to study for their profession. That is what those funds are used for. What did we do? Remember that we are talking $25 million, which is a 0.5 per cent variation in our total budget of roughly $5 billion. We got towards the end of the financial year and nobody — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Dr K.D. HAMES : Nobody in any department has ever been able to land — Mr R.H. Cook interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Kwinana! Dr K.D. HAMES : — exactly on the spot of exactly how much money we have and exactly how much we have spent. We had some bills that needed to be paid. I must say that it was my view that it was very important for us as a government to pay those bills, given that the funds were sitting there in Health—they were not commonwealth funds—and they certainly did not need to be used in that particular month. There is more than $60 million in funds altogether and they are used throughout the year for those purposes to which they are allocated. I took the view that I would rather pay the bills. We were three weeks away from the end of the financial year, and as soon as the financial year ended, those funds were repaid with the corresponding interest. Therefore, I feel that when, as a government, we owe money to small businesses that have provided either a service or a product to government, it is our responsibility to pay those bills on time. I did not feel comfortable with leaving those bills — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Dr K.D. HAMES : — for a further three weeks, particularly because that meant that at the end of their financial year those people would not have had the money that they should have been paid. Sure, I was quite happy to support — An opposition member interjected. Dr K.D. HAMES : I do not remember the exact timing; I think it was about three weeks before the end of the financial year—about the time that I was made aware of that and I was quite comfortable with it. I have to say that I did not know that it was improper, as the Auditor General referred to in his report. We have been slapped on the wrist for that. We will accept the Auditor General’s report. We will not do it again. But I have to say I feel quite comfortable with the fact that I paid the bills when they were due.
Dr K.D. HAMES : It is available for research and often used for travel, particularly for medical staff who, as part of their contract, are allowed to take trips related to study for their profession. That is what those funds are used for. What did we do? Remember that we are talking $25 million, which is a 0.5 per cent variation in our total budget of roughly $5 billion. We got towards the end of the financial year and nobody — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Dr K.D. HAMES : Nobody in any department has ever been able to land — Mr R.H. Cook interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Kwinana! Dr K.D. HAMES : — exactly on the spot of exactly how much money we have and exactly how much we have spent. We had some bills that needed to be paid. I must say that it was my view that it was very important for us as a government to pay those bills, given that the funds were sitting there in Health—they were not commonwealth funds—and they certainly did not need to be used in that particular month. There is more than $60 million in funds altogether and they are used throughout the year for those purposes to which they are allocated. I took the view that I would rather pay the bills. We were three weeks away from the end of the financial year, and as soon as the financial year ended, those funds were repaid with the corresponding interest. Therefore, I feel that when, as a government, we owe money to small businesses that have provided either a service or a product to government, it is our responsibility to pay those bills on time. I did not feel comfortable with leaving those bills — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Dr K.D. HAMES : — for a further three weeks, particularly because that meant that at the end of their financial year those people would not have had the money that they should have been paid. Sure, I was quite happy to support — An opposition member interjected. Dr K.D. HAMES : I do not remember the exact timing; I think it was about three weeks before the end of the financial year—about the time that I was made aware of that and I was quite comfortable with it. I have to say that I did not know that it was improper, as the Auditor General referred to in his report. We have been slapped on the wrist for that. We will accept the Auditor General’s report. We will not do it again. But I have to say I feel quite comfortable with the fact that I paid the bills when they were due.
What did we do? Remember that we are talking $25 million, which is a 0.5 per cent variation in our total budget of roughly $5 billion. We got towards the end of the financial year and nobody — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Dr K.D. HAMES : Nobody in any department has ever been able to land — Mr R.H. Cook interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Kwinana! Dr K.D. HAMES : — exactly on the spot of exactly how much money we have and exactly how much we have spent. We had some bills that needed to be paid. I must say that it was my view that it was very important for us as a government to pay those bills, given that the funds were sitting there in Health—they were not commonwealth funds—and they certainly did not need to be used in that particular month. There is more than $60 million in funds altogether and they are used throughout the year for those purposes to which they are allocated. I took the view that I would rather pay the bills. We were three weeks away from the end of the financial year, and as soon as the financial year ended, those funds were repaid with the corresponding interest. Therefore, I feel that when, as a government, we owe money to small businesses that have provided either a service or a product to government, it is our responsibility to pay those bills on time. I did not feel comfortable with leaving those bills — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Dr K.D. HAMES : — for a further three weeks, particularly because that meant that at the end of their financial year those people would not have had the money that they should have been paid. Sure, I was quite happy to support — An opposition member interjected. Dr K.D. HAMES : I do not remember the exact timing; I think it was about three weeks before the end of the financial year—about the time that I was made aware of that and I was quite comfortable with it. I have to say that I did not know that it was improper, as the Auditor General referred to in his report. We have been slapped on the wrist for that. We will accept the Auditor General’s report. We will not do it again. But I have to say I feel quite comfortable with the fact that I paid the bills when they were due.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Dr K.D. HAMES : Nobody in any department has ever been able to land — Mr R.H. Cook interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Kwinana! Dr K.D. HAMES : — exactly on the spot of exactly how much money we have and exactly how much we have spent. We had some bills that needed to be paid. I must say that it was my view that it was very important for us as a government to pay those bills, given that the funds were sitting there in Health—they were not commonwealth funds—and they certainly did not need to be used in that particular month. There is more than $60 million in funds altogether and they are used throughout the year for those purposes to which they are allocated. I took the view that I would rather pay the bills. We were three weeks away from the end of the financial year, and as soon as the financial year ended, those funds were repaid with the corresponding interest. Therefore, I feel that when, as a government, we owe money to small businesses that have provided either a service or a product to government, it is our responsibility to pay those bills on time. I did not feel comfortable with leaving those bills — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Dr K.D. HAMES : — for a further three weeks, particularly because that meant that at the end of their financial year those people would not have had the money that they should have been paid. Sure, I was quite happy to support — An opposition member interjected. Dr K.D. HAMES : I do not remember the exact timing; I think it was about three weeks before the end of the financial year—about the time that I was made aware of that and I was quite comfortable with it. I have to say that I did not know that it was improper, as the Auditor General referred to in his report. We have been slapped on the wrist for that. We will accept the Auditor General’s report. We will not do it again. But I have to say I feel quite comfortable with the fact that I paid the bills when they were due.
The SPEAKER : Members! Dr K.D. HAMES : Nobody in any department has ever been able to land — Mr R.H. Cook interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Kwinana! Dr K.D. HAMES : — exactly on the spot of exactly how much money we have and exactly how much we have spent. We had some bills that needed to be paid. I must say that it was my view that it was very important for us as a government to pay those bills, given that the funds were sitting there in Health—they were not commonwealth funds—and they certainly did not need to be used in that particular month. There is more than $60 million in funds altogether and they are used throughout the year for those purposes to which they are allocated. I took the view that I would rather pay the bills. We were three weeks away from the end of the financial year, and as soon as the financial year ended, those funds were repaid with the corresponding interest. Therefore, I feel that when, as a government, we owe money to small businesses that have provided either a service or a product to government, it is our responsibility to pay those bills on time. I did not feel comfortable with leaving those bills — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Dr K.D. HAMES : — for a further three weeks, particularly because that meant that at the end of their financial year those people would not have had the money that they should have been paid. Sure, I was quite happy to support — An opposition member interjected. Dr K.D. HAMES : I do not remember the exact timing; I think it was about three weeks before the end of the financial year—about the time that I was made aware of that and I was quite comfortable with it. I have to say that I did not know that it was improper, as the Auditor General referred to in his report. We have been slapped on the wrist for that. We will accept the Auditor General’s report. We will not do it again. But I have to say I feel quite comfortable with the fact that I paid the bills when they were due.
Dr K.D. HAMES : Nobody in any department has ever been able to land — Mr R.H. Cook interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Kwinana! Dr K.D. HAMES : — exactly on the spot of exactly how much money we have and exactly how much we have spent. We had some bills that needed to be paid. I must say that it was my view that it was very important for us as a government to pay those bills, given that the funds were sitting there in Health—they were not commonwealth funds—and they certainly did not need to be used in that particular month. There is more than $60 million in funds altogether and they are used throughout the year for those purposes to which they are allocated. I took the view that I would rather pay the bills. We were three weeks away from the end of the financial year, and as soon as the financial year ended, those funds were repaid with the corresponding interest. Therefore, I feel that when, as a government, we owe money to small businesses that have provided either a service or a product to government, it is our responsibility to pay those bills on time. I did not feel comfortable with leaving those bills — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Dr K.D. HAMES : — for a further three weeks, particularly because that meant that at the end of their financial year those people would not have had the money that they should have been paid. Sure, I was quite happy to support — An opposition member interjected. Dr K.D. HAMES : I do not remember the exact timing; I think it was about three weeks before the end of the financial year—about the time that I was made aware of that and I was quite comfortable with it. I have to say that I did not know that it was improper, as the Auditor General referred to in his report. We have been slapped on the wrist for that. We will accept the Auditor General’s report. We will not do it again. But I have to say I feel quite comfortable with the fact that I paid the bills when they were due.
Mr R.H. Cook interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Kwinana! Dr K.D. HAMES : — exactly on the spot of exactly how much money we have and exactly how much we have spent. We had some bills that needed to be paid. I must say that it was my view that it was very important for us as a government to pay those bills, given that the funds were sitting there in Health—they were not commonwealth funds—and they certainly did not need to be used in that particular month. There is more than $60 million in funds altogether and they are used throughout the year for those purposes to which they are allocated. I took the view that I would rather pay the bills. We were three weeks away from the end of the financial year, and as soon as the financial year ended, those funds were repaid with the corresponding interest. Therefore, I feel that when, as a government, we owe money to small businesses that have provided either a service or a product to government, it is our responsibility to pay those bills on time. I did not feel comfortable with leaving those bills — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Dr K.D. HAMES : — for a further three weeks, particularly because that meant that at the end of their financial year those people would not have had the money that they should have been paid. Sure, I was quite happy to support — An opposition member interjected. Dr K.D. HAMES : I do not remember the exact timing; I think it was about three weeks before the end of the financial year—about the time that I was made aware of that and I was quite comfortable with it. I have to say that I did not know that it was improper, as the Auditor General referred to in his report. We have been slapped on the wrist for that. We will accept the Auditor General’s report. We will not do it again. But I have to say I feel quite comfortable with the fact that I paid the bills when they were due.
The SPEAKER : Member for Kwinana! Dr K.D. HAMES : — exactly on the spot of exactly how much money we have and exactly how much we have spent. We had some bills that needed to be paid. I must say that it was my view that it was very important for us as a government to pay those bills, given that the funds were sitting there in Health—they were not commonwealth funds—and they certainly did not need to be used in that particular month. There is more than $60 million in funds altogether and they are used throughout the year for those purposes to which they are allocated. I took the view that I would rather pay the bills. We were three weeks away from the end of the financial year, and as soon as the financial year ended, those funds were repaid with the corresponding interest. Therefore, I feel that when, as a government, we owe money to small businesses that have provided either a service or a product to government, it is our responsibility to pay those bills on time. I did not feel comfortable with leaving those bills — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Dr K.D. HAMES : — for a further three weeks, particularly because that meant that at the end of their financial year those people would not have had the money that they should have been paid. Sure, I was quite happy to support — An opposition member interjected. Dr K.D. HAMES : I do not remember the exact timing; I think it was about three weeks before the end of the financial year—about the time that I was made aware of that and I was quite comfortable with it. I have to say that I did not know that it was improper, as the Auditor General referred to in his report. We have been slapped on the wrist for that. We will accept the Auditor General’s report. We will not do it again. But I have to say I feel quite comfortable with the fact that I paid the bills when they were due.
Dr K.D. HAMES : — exactly on the spot of exactly how much money we have and exactly how much we have spent. We had some bills that needed to be paid. I must say that it was my view that it was very important for us as a government to pay those bills, given that the funds were sitting there in Health—they were not commonwealth funds—and they certainly did not need to be used in that particular month. There is more than $60 million in funds altogether and they are used throughout the year for those purposes to which they are allocated. I took the view that I would rather pay the bills. We were three weeks away from the end of the financial year, and as soon as the financial year ended, those funds were repaid with the corresponding interest. Therefore, I feel that when, as a government, we owe money to small businesses that have provided either a service or a product to government, it is our responsibility to pay those bills on time. I did not feel comfortable with leaving those bills — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Dr K.D. HAMES : — for a further three weeks, particularly because that meant that at the end of their financial year those people would not have had the money that they should have been paid. Sure, I was quite happy to support — An opposition member interjected. Dr K.D. HAMES : I do not remember the exact timing; I think it was about three weeks before the end of the financial year—about the time that I was made aware of that and I was quite comfortable with it. I have to say that I did not know that it was improper, as the Auditor General referred to in his report. We have been slapped on the wrist for that. We will accept the Auditor General’s report. We will not do it again. But I have to say I feel quite comfortable with the fact that I paid the bills when they were due.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Dr K.D. HAMES : — for a further three weeks, particularly because that meant that at the end of their financial year those people would not have had the money that they should have been paid. Sure, I was quite happy to support — An opposition member interjected. Dr K.D. HAMES : I do not remember the exact timing; I think it was about three weeks before the end of the financial year—about the time that I was made aware of that and I was quite comfortable with it. I have to say that I did not know that it was improper, as the Auditor General referred to in his report. We have been slapped on the wrist for that. We will accept the Auditor General’s report. We will not do it again. But I have to say I feel quite comfortable with the fact that I paid the bills when they were due.
The SPEAKER : Members! Dr K.D. HAMES : — for a further three weeks, particularly because that meant that at the end of their financial year those people would not have had the money that they should have been paid. Sure, I was quite happy to support — An opposition member interjected. Dr K.D. HAMES : I do not remember the exact timing; I think it was about three weeks before the end of the financial year—about the time that I was made aware of that and I was quite comfortable with it. I have to say that I did not know that it was improper, as the Auditor General referred to in his report. We have been slapped on the wrist for that. We will accept the Auditor General’s report. We will not do it again. But I have to say I feel quite comfortable with the fact that I paid the bills when they were due.
Dr K.D. HAMES : — for a further three weeks, particularly because that meant that at the end of their financial year those people would not have had the money that they should have been paid. Sure, I was quite happy to support — An opposition member interjected. Dr K.D. HAMES : I do not remember the exact timing; I think it was about three weeks before the end of the financial year—about the time that I was made aware of that and I was quite comfortable with it. I have to say that I did not know that it was improper, as the Auditor General referred to in his report. We have been slapped on the wrist for that. We will accept the Auditor General’s report. We will not do it again. But I have to say I feel quite comfortable with the fact that I paid the bills when they were due.
An opposition member interjected. Dr K.D. HAMES : I do not remember the exact timing; I think it was about three weeks before the end of the financial year—about the time that I was made aware of that and I was quite comfortable with it. I have to say that I did not know that it was improper, as the Auditor General referred to in his report. We have been slapped on the wrist for that. We will accept the Auditor General’s report. We will not do it again. But I have to say I feel quite comfortable with the fact that I paid the bills when they were due.
Dr K.D. HAMES : I do not remember the exact timing; I think it was about three weeks before the end of the financial year—about the time that I was made aware of that and I was quite comfortable with it. I have to say that I did not know that it was improper, as the Auditor General referred to in his report. We have been slapped on the wrist for that. We will accept the Auditor General’s report. We will not do it again. But I have to say I feel quite comfortable with the fact that I paid the bills when they were due.
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