A ghost from the Fitzgerald era has been aired publicly for the first time, with the minutes from the first Public Accounts Committee meeting in 1988 being released.
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Regarded as the beginning of the modern Queensland committee system, the Public Accounts Committee was established to increase scrutiny and accountability, in response to the Fitzgerald Inquiry into police misconduct and corruption.
The release of the 30-year-old committee documents was the first under a new publication scheme.
The documents themselves are brief notes written up on a typewriter, with the minutes from the inaugural meeting on Thursday, November 24, 1988 noting the election of a chairman and deputy chairman, an invitation to auditor-general Mr V. Doyle and one of his senior officers to join the committee for afternoon tea, an invitation to the New South Wales PAC Committee clerk Mr John Horder to meet with the committee, and that the committee consider a list of projects.
At the second meeting, on Friday, December 2, 1988, the committee discussed matters which could be investigated, including the Treasurer's Advance Account, the format of budget/accounts, auditing, overtime payments, medical staffing in hospitals and the Wolffdene Dam.
The committee also discussed draft duties for staff positions, the chairman said he would arrange for the under treasurer to brief the committee on Treasury papers and documents, suggested members visit NSW to attend public hearings, asked the clerk to report on suitable word processors and photocopiers, asked the clerk to prepare a draft budget and organised for a draft letterhead to be prepared for printing on ivory paper with maroon printing.
Speaker Curtis Pitt said for years before the Public Accounts Committee was established, there was agitation for greater parliamentary scrutiny and executive accountability about public accounts.
"The establishment of the Public Accounts Committee marked a new era of accountability in Queensland," he said.
"History also records the establishment of the Public Accounts Committee was a significant issue in the 1983 split of the National Party from the Liberal Party Coalition."
Mr Pitt said establishing the Public Accounts Committee was one of Nationals premier Mike Ahern's first measures to increase scrutiny and account ability in response to the ongoing Fitzgerald inquiry into police corruption.
"Today's seven portfolio committees all have the same powers of the original public accounts committee," he said.
However, Mr Pitt said the minutes from this year's release were largely administrative.
Mr Pitt said the release of historical committee records would continue.
"Following today's release of the complete committee minutes from 1988, the Legislative Assembly will proactively release committee minutes that have attained the age of 30 years, to the public at the start of each year," he said.
It comes after the cabinet minutes from 1988 were released on January 1 this year, revealing Mr Ahern's uphill battle to begin to reform Queensland following the Bjelke-Petersen government.
The Fitzgerald Inquiry was held from 1987 to 1989 and resulted in the jailing of three former ministers and a police commissioner.
