Page 4388 - Week 14 - Wednesday, 8 December 1993
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
ACTTAB - Contract with VITAB Ltd
MR DE DOMENICO: My question without notice is to the Deputy Chief Minister in his capacity as Minister for Sport. I refer to the Minister's comments in the Assembly yesterday when attempting to answer a question about VITAB. In an article in the Australian Financial Review dated 26 November 1993 a person who you confirmed yesterday is a director and chairman of VITAB, namely, Mr Dan Kolomanski, said that a VITAB shareholder, Mr Bob Hawke, took part in negotiations with the ACT Government in relation to VITAB. Since you also yesterday informed the Assembly that you personally had not held such discussions with Mr Hawke, with whom in the Government did Mr Hawke negotiate?
MR BERRY: If there were going to be any negotiations with anybody in the Government - and I refer to this group of Ministers here - it was going to be me, and it was not me.
Mr De Domenico: So who was it?
MR BERRY: I do not know who wrote the article.
Mr De Domenico: Mr Kolomanski said it.
MR BERRY: I do not know who wrote the article or what interpretation they put on their collection of information before they wrote the article; but I am telling you that I have had no negotiations with Mr Hawke, and I would be the only Minister who was to have negotiations with Mr Hawke. Therefore, I am afraid that the article was wrong.
MR DE DOMENICO: Madam Speaker, I ask a supplementary question. Noting that the Minister yesterday said in the house that he had taken advice from the Law Office and the Treasury, was the decision to sign the contract made by you, Minister, or by the whole of Cabinet?
MR BERRY: It was a decision that was made by me in the normal course of my consideration of matters that are important for the ACTTAB. It was subsequently signed, as I reported to you yesterday, by the chairman of the TAB, among others.
Education Budget Cuts
MR MOORE: My question is directed to the Minister for Education. Now that the Minister has had time to assess what specific areas will be reduced as a result of budget cuts in education, will he inform the Assembly of the specific areas he is targeting?
MR WOOD: Madam Speaker, the consideration of the renewed education budget is still under discussion. Indeed, a short time ago I had a meeting with the Education Union on the matter. I am not in a position to advise the Assembly of what details may yet emerge. I can tell you that that amendment, which I think was a foolish one, but we have been down that path - - -
Mr Moore: On a point of order, Madam Speaker: Once already today the Minister has breached standing order 52. You have drawn his attention to it, and I ask you to make clear to him that he must not breach that standing order.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .