Page 639 - Week 03 - Tuesday, 12 April 1994
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Mr Kaine: That was that week.
MR CORNWELL: Indeed, Mr Kaine, because finally on 12 April - today - he is back again on this written undertaking of VITAB. I think these words are rather important, considering what he said on 1 March:
VITAB has provided a written undertaking that it will not knowingly seek the business of Australian resident customers by way of rebate, any other inducement or any other similar means.
I submit that the Minister does not really know what is going on in relation to these questions of inducements. As I said earlier in debate this afternoon, we on this side of the house have two letters - one from Mallesons Stephen Jaques and the other from O'Connor Harris, both legal companies - indicating that, whatever written agreement VITAB may have provided, it is totally worthless in terms of being held as a legal document in relation to the question of inducements. Minister, that is my second contribution to the debate - - -
Mr Berry: What is the relevance of that to what I said in the past?
MR CORNWELL: I think the relevance is that I am not at all sure that you know what you are on about on this. I repeat that this is my second contribution to this debate - - -
Mr Berry: Did I mislead you?
MR CORNWELL: In answer, yes. This Assembly lacks confidence in Minister Berry by reason of his deliberate or reckless misleading of the Assembly. I rest my case.
MR DE DOMENICO (10.22): Madam Speaker, I seek leave to make a brief statement. It is the second time for me too.
Leave granted.
MR DE DOMENICO: Madam Speaker, I am going to be very brief and will limit my comments to the evidence as presented by Mr Berry tonight before the dinner break. Mr Berry interjected to Mr Cornwell just now and he said that he misled. Mr Berry, on 7 December, in answer to a question, you said:
It is a public company, and Tony De Domenico can do a search through the ASC company records, if he wants to confirm that.
I think, Mr Minister, you will concede now that on 7 December 1993 you said, "It is a public company". Have you ever come back to the Assembly or anywhere else and said that it was not a public company, that it was a private company?
Mr Berry: No. Go to page 4462.
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