Page 1730 - Week 07 - Tuesday, 18 August 1992
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The campaign that I have referred to, Madam Speaker, received quite extensive coverage in the media, including the Canberra Times, the Australian, the Australian Financial Review, the Commonwealth Government IT News, the Monitor, the Directions in Government, and so on. So, rather than the Government failing to jump on Mr De Domenico's band wagon - a band wagon which, I might say, is totally lacking in direction - we have been well ahead of him in this game. We have our own projects under way and are very well ahead in the game. I would like to repeat, Madam Speaker, that Mr De Domenico has not contacted me about his proposal; he has not invited me. I am the Minister responsible. I think that he may have, perhaps unwittingly, misled the Canberra audience on that matter.
There is one aspect of Mr De Domenico's belated and rather half-hearted campaign that I would like to comment on, and that is the reported involvement of the Royal Australian Mint. Madam Speaker, I would have thought that, if the Royal Australian Mint wanted to play a role in the advancement of computer and communications technology in the ACT, I might have heard from them or at least from their Federal Minister. What I propose to do, given their reported interest, is take it up, perhaps at a Federal Government level, with the Minister responsible and see whether there is a way that they would like to be involved in what the Government is already doing.
Supported Accommodation Assistance Program
MR CORNWELL: We all seem to be having problems with invitations. My question is directed to Mr Connolly. I refer to a media report in the Canberra Times of Friday, 14 August, concerning the supported accommodation assistance program and the statement that was made by a spokesman for Mr Connolly's office. The spokesman said, "Mr Cornwell had been invited to a sit-down discussion on the issue with Mr Connolly, but he had declined". Minister, when was this invitation issued? No approach whatsoever was made to my secretary, me or any Liberal staffer on the first floor to invite me to a sit-down discussion with you. Frankly, I resent the implication that I had refused to cooperate by declining an invitation that was never made. I would be quite happy to sit down at any time to discuss this matter with you.
MR CONNOLLY: Thank you. Madam Speaker, I do not have the invitation with me; but a copy of it is actually, as I understand it, pinned to the wall in the Canberra Times office, because I made a copy of it available to Mr Cornwell and indeed to the media. When Mr Kaine announced the shadow ministry in April, as a courtesy, I wrote to each member of the Opposition with shadow responsibilities, making it abundantly clear that there was a standing offer for any briefings from me or my officials, simply on the condition that the briefing be arranged through me. I had no response from Mr Cornwell to that offer of a briefing.
The Commissioner for Housing, Mr Templar, the officer with responsibility for the Housing Trust, has file notes which show that twice Mr Templar contacted Mr Cornwell's office with a view to asking whether he wanted to take up the offer of briefings on Housing Trust matters. There was no response. I am concerned that Mr Cornwell is absolutely pounding the notice paper with masses of detailed questions on Housing Trust matters, which my officers would be more
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