Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Northern and Remote Australia) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate take note of the document.

I want to make some remarks in relation to this report, although I will probably make my substantive comments on the next document. With respect to this document, the report for 2008-09, I simply want to raise with the Senate that we are now into the year 2011, almost starting the financial year 2011-12, and this report from effectively three financial years ago is only coming before the parliament at this stage. I make the comment also that the report, perhaps for reasons I do not understand, is limited. I hasten to add that the next report that I want to speak about, which is the same report for the next financial year, is a bit more effusive, but with the 2008-09 report, unless you knew what was happening you would not really have any idea of what the Royal Australian Air Force Welfare Recreational Company actually did or does.

This is a government that wanted to be open and accountable. It wanted to make sure that anything that is government funded is able to be viewed by the public. Tabling this report some three years after the event is not good enough. I say with all due respect to you, Madam Acting Deputy President Crossin, but with no respect to the current government: this sort of poor accountability cannot be accepted. It is even more difficult to accept given that the current Prime Minister was elected on a mantra of openness and accountability. The words are easy to say; the actions are much harder. I think that this report, coming out some three years after the event, is typical of this government's lack of accountability and lack of openness in spite of the rhetoric.

Question agreed to.