Page 975 - Week 06 - Wednesday, 26 July 1989
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Mr Speaker, that raises the question, and I issue the challenge to the Federal Treasurer to respond to the issues raised today in this ACT Assembly. Historically, the Rally speaks on a challenge direct to the other house, direct to the Federal Treasurer to answer our challenge. Why does the Pipeline Authority exist if its only customers are AGL in Sydney and AGL in Canberra, along with other minor suppliers en route, such as Wagga and the rest? Why is the Pipeline Authority not sold simply to AGL? Why can AGL not buy the 58-kilometre line in from Dalton, for instance, so that the Canberra consumer can get rid of that 90-odd per cent price hike?
Mr Speaker, that raises privatisation issues for the ALP, and we expect to have an answer, hopefully, from the Federal Government on this issue on behalf of Canberra residents because we are not too confident that this Labor minority Government has the verve or the nerve to press its big brothers in their brotherhood for the answers that we want.
Mr Whalan: Mr Speaker, pursuant to standing order 213, I would like to move that the documents from which Mr Collaery was quoting be tabled and presented to the Assembly.
MR COLLAERY: We have them all ready. Mr Speaker, one of the documents is on short-term loan from a library. It is Mr Whalan's own library, so perhaps he would return it for us. I present the following papers:
AGL Canberra Ltd - Application for increase in price of gas, 8 May 1989
Draft Gas Ordinance 1987
Speech notes.
MR WHALAN (Minister for Industry, Employment and Education) (3.22): Mr Speaker, I think that the Assembly and we on this side - and indeed Mr Collaery - are all indebted to Mr Graham Downie of the Canberra Times in relation to this matter. Mr Collaery, apart from his briefing from AGL, has relied very heavily on the very fine research done by Mr Graham Downie.
Mr Collaery: I have never read that, Mr Speaker. I have never seen it.
MR WHALAN: You will find a very close similarity, Mr Speaker, between Mr Downie's words and those used by Mr Collaery today. There is no crime of plagiarising; I just think we should acknowledge our sources, and that is very important. I will be interested, however, Mr Speaker, to see how the Canberra Times treats this matter of public importance in tomorrow's edition. Yesterday the Government introduced to the Assembly the budget statement, which is of considerable significance to the future of the ACT. It is the first time that a budget has been presented by a
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