Page 2983 - Week 10 - Thursday, 16 August 1990

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page 634, that reference is made to the purchase of venetian blinds to furnish the Office of Industry and Development for the sum of $16,792, and a further reference is made to about $10,000 worth of broadloom carpet, presumably also for the Office of Industry and Development.

Can the Minister explain why it was necessary to move the Office of Industry and Development to the Canberra Centre Tower and thus incur these expenses in addition to the extra rental expenses compared with those for the original location when fiscal restraint is being encouraged elsewhere in the ACT? How does the Minister intend to justify these amounts to those members of the community who will be financially disadvantaged by the impending school closures, as nominated by this Government?

MR DUBY: I thank Mr Moore for the question. It is a quite complicated and long question. Some of the matters, frankly, do not fall within my area of responsibility. For example, he asked why the Office of Industry and Development was moved to the new office accommodation. I think really he should be asking it of the current Leader of the Opposition, as that decision to move those people was made on, I believe, the day after the motion of no confidence was moved in relation to the former Government. They are the people who are responsible for the move, the legal shift of that office to the new location. Of course, there were costs involved in the shift.

Mr Berry: On a point of order: I would be delighted to hear a full answer to this question. Mr Duby obviously does not have the information. If he does not have the information, he can take it on notice and give it to us later.

MR SPEAKER: Order! Thank you for your observation, Mr Berry. Please proceed, Mr Duby.

MR DUBY: In relation to those figures mentioned, of $16,000-odd for blinds and $10,000-odd for carpet, they undoubtedly are substantial amounts of money and, as I said, the responsibility for that lies fairly and squarely with the former Chief Minister and former Treasurer.

However, in relation to the rest of the question, I shall take it on notice and provide those answers as soon as possible.

MR COLLAERY: Mr Speaker, I ask that further questions be placed on notice.

School Closures - Video

MR HUMPHRIES: Mr Speaker, I was asked a question by Ms Follett at question time today concerning the production of a video, at a value of $20,000, and the video subject was


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