Page 3150 - Week 11 - Wednesday, 12 September 1990
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To finalise my remarks: in view of the restriction on publication of Cabinet documents, I have decided to release the relevant Cabinet documentation to the Auditor-General, Mr O'Neill. The Government has nothing to hide and entirely rejects Mr Connolly's scandalous imputation against our integrity. And, if he is not careful, there may be further legal action if he continues these attacks on the Government.
MR CONNOLLY: Mr Speaker, I claim to have been misrepresented. Mr Collaery, in his rather extreme statement of some minutes ago, claimed that I made scandalous and improper allegations against the Government. He acknowledged in that statement that the allegation that a member of the Cabinet took part in a decision in which that member had a pecuniary interest was a scandalous and improper allegation. It is indeed a scandalous allegation. I asked yesterday in the proper forum - that is, this parliament - of the Chief Minister: Was the conflict of interest brought to the Chief Minister's attention?
Public affairs radio - whatever may or may not be said there - is not the proper forum in which to obtain this information. I asked the question in this parliament. The Chief Minister refused to answer that question. That itself is a matter of public interest which I properly commented on. Mr Collaery made some comments about some legal proceedings which I read about in the newspaper but have received no formal notification of, by way of either letter from solicitors or service of writs.
Mr Collaery's comments on my statements yesterday afternoon, when he said that writs had been issued, may lead to the suggestion that I issued a press release yesterday with a view to traversing a matter before the courts. I would refute any suggestion that at the time that statement was made I had received any notice, particularly formal notice, of any legal action. If any legal action is to be proceeded with, it will, of course, be vigorously defended. In my view, this issue is, as Mr Collaery acknowledges, a very important matter going to the heart of Cabinet government, and we very properly raised and pursued the matter.
PAPERS
MR SPEAKER: Pursuant to the Audit Act 1989, I table for the information of members the following paper:
Audit report No. 2 of 1990-91 - ACT Government Service.
MR COLLAERY (Deputy Chief Minister): Mr Speaker, I table for the information of members the following paper:
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