Page 4916 - Week 17 - Tuesday, 11 December 1990
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
MR SPEAKER: Order! It was not that he did it on purpose. Therefore I would ask you to withdraw that, please, Mr Berry.
MR BERRY: I can include the words "inadvertently misled the Assembly", according to the Minister. I will withdraw the words, Mr Speaker, and go on as follows: will the Minister now admit that, according to him, he has inadvertently misled the Assembly, and his department has been actively involved in the plan to stifle public criticism of the Royal Canberra Hospital closure and the dismissal of a senior Canberra Times journalist?
MR HUMPHRIES: No, I will not admit any of what Mr Berry has said in terms of stifling debate or arranging for the sacking of a Canberra Times journalist. Mr Berry has still, notwithstanding his assertions in this place, produced none of the evidence that I invited him to produce on the previous occasion on which he came to this place and made those allegations. In one respect Mr Berry was correct. I say again to Mr Berry: if Mr Berry believes that that has happened, let him produce a single scintilla of evidence. I say to him that he cannot, because it is not true. Neither I nor my department have been involved in such activities.
Canberra Times Site
MR STEFANIAK: Mr Speaker, my question is to the Chief Minister. I ask the Chief Minister whether he has seen the Canberra Times article which may concern him - the reported proposal by the Department of Education, Employment and Training to accommodate its public servants in offices to be built on the old Canberra Times site here in Civic.
MR KAINE: Mr Speaker, I did see that article and I must say that it caused me some concern because I have made it clear repeatedly that the ACT Government will not house further public servants in Civic because of the pressures that are being applied to it, which I am sure are well known to members of the Assembly. It has been my clear understanding that the certified National Capital Plan states that it is the intention of the Commonwealth not to house additional public servants here either. So, it is a matter of some concern that, if this proposal is on the books, it seems contrary to the intentions of both this Government and the Commonwealth.
However, it is a Commonwealth department that is alleged to have made this proposal and, of course, there would be no objection and there could be no objection if all that is intended is to relocate public servants currently in Civic into this new location. I do not know the facts of that, but I would expect that, as we will live by our undertaking not to put additional public servants in Civic, the Commonwealth will also live by its undertaking as expressed in the certified National Capital Plan.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .