Page 2420 - Week 11 - Thursday, 2 November 1989
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Mr Berry: I take a point of order, Mr Speaker.
Mr Collaery: You gave him leave.
MR KAINE: I have leave to make a statement and I wish I would be allowed to get on with it, Mr Speaker.
Mr Berry: I do not think that rules out the opportunity for people to raise points of order, Mr Speaker. Mr Kaine was on his feet complaining about the misuse of question time. It seems to me now that he is starting to debate the issues which were involved in questions which were answered in this place.
MR SPEAKER: That is not a point of order, Minister Berry. Please proceed, Mr Kaine.
MR KAINE: I thank you, Mr Speaker. The point I am trying to make is that the question was not answered. He said that a recent study has examined the potential for commercialising research conducted in the ACT.
This report, according to the Minister and his own document, was commissioned by the Government. Mr Whalan is a member of the Government. It is in his portfolio. One can only infer that the report was commissioned by the Minister. And when I asked him in a supplementary question who conducted the study he said, "I don't know".
Mr Speaker, I simply do not believe that the Minister, having commissioned such a study, having referred to it in his paper, having drawn heavily upon it in the paper that he presented, does not remember who conducted the study. I simply do not believe it, Mr Speaker. It was a direct and deliberate evasion and a refusal to answer my question.
Another part of my question, Mr Speaker, had to do with when he intended to publish it. Since he included in this document the words "so far unpublished", the only inference that you can draw from that is that at some stage he intends to publish it; otherwise why put the words in at all?
Mr Whalan: Why?
MR KAINE: Well, if you had not put them in there it would not have begged the question. But, since you say it is so far unpublished, the inference is that you intend to publish it.
Mr Whalan: No, it does not. It may remain forever unpublished.
MR KAINE: That is a fiction, and again, Mr Speaker, it is a direct refusal to answer the question. I believe that my questions were very reasonable. I would like to know who undertook the study. Are they legitimate people? Do they have any standing? Does the report have any value? The
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