House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2010-09-28 Daily Xml

Contents

Ministerial Statement

BUDGET PAPERS CORRIGENDUM

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY (Port Adelaide—Deputy Premier, Treasurer, Minister for Federal/State Relations, Minister for Defence Industries) (16:42): I seek leave to make a brief ministerial statement.

Leave granted.

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: I have been made aware of an excitable shadow treasurer who demanded my attendance in the chamber. I was in meetings or preoccupied doing something else and he was very excited by the corrigendum. Corrigenda are a feature, unfortunately, as there are errors from time to time in the printing of budget papers. I have delivered three or four of them over the years and I have no doubt that it has happened many times under the last government. I will read it, though. I am more than relaxed and I think the shadow treasurer is entitled to an explanation, should he so wish.

I am advised that there is an error in the Treasury and Finance Portfolio Statement, Administered Items for Treasury and Finance, relating to the 2010-11 budget for consolidated account items. The error arose following a late adjustment to correct the 2010-11 budget for appropriation, equity contribution and accrual appropriation balance for the Department of Education and Children's Services.

The correct figures are reflected in the DECS portfolio statements, the Appropriation Bill and the Statement of Consolidated Account Receipts and Payments presented in the Budget Statement Appendix C. However, the flow-on changes to the administered items for the Department of Treasury and Finance statements were not made.

There is no impact on the general government sector or the non-financial public sector aggregates. As the adjustment affected the level of equity contributions, operating appropriation and the use of accrual appropriation account, a number of lines in the administered items for Treasury and Finance financial statements are incorrect. The financial statements as presented in the 2010-11 budget papers are provided at attachment 1. The corrected financial statements, with changed numbers highlighted, are provided at attachment 2.

The error was discovered after the relevant budget paper was printed. Accordingly, it is recommended that a corrigendum correcting the error be released on the Department of Treasury and Finance website and tabled in parliament at the earliest opportunity. A minute to cabinet office requesting tabling of the corrigendum is attached (attachment 3) for your consideration. It is signed Jim Wright, Under Treasurer. I am sure somebody can make sense of that.