Page 2001 - Week 07 - Wednesday, 15 June 1994
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for involvement in the illegal side of gambling on horse racing. Mr Bartholomew and another director of VITAB have an association with a Mr Alan Tripp. The royal commission report has a whole chapter on the illegal gambling activities of Mr Tripp, and his brother-in-law, Peter Bartholomew, who is also named.
We go a bit further, Madam Speaker, because in Hansard of the same day the Victorian Police Minister said:
The advice I provided on Peter James Bartholomew was not totally inclusive. The police have given me further information following my request. Additional charges were laid, about which I had not advised the racing minister. They included the fact that Mr Bartholomew was convicted in the Melbourne Magistrates Court on 31 May 1982 for using premises for betting. He was fined $2500 and, in default, six weeks gaol. He was also charged with securing premises to delay police, interfering with Telecom installations and attaching apparatus to Telecom installations. He was sentenced to five days imprisonment for each of those charges. On 8 February 1982 he was charged with assisting in the conduct of a place used for betting and placed on a $200 good behaviour bond.
Madam Speaker, I read that into Hansard for one reason and one reason only. Here is a man who was going to be placed as a director of a company that the ACT Government had signed a contract with and who was removed from that company register only after questions were asked by the Opposition. Had the Opposition not asked those questions, Mr Bartholomew's name would have appeared as a director of VITAB. There is no denying that. Noting the fact that the only checks that were done were started on 23 February 1994, we would not have known anything about this sort of situation. That is all said quite clearly in Professor Pearce's report as well.
Madam Speaker, there is no doubt that this was not a good deal for ACTTAB and the ACT community. The important thing to say, and to say over and over again, is that it was the Government's responsibility to make sure that it was a good deal.
Debate interrupted.
ADJOURNMENT
MADAM SPEAKER: Order! It being 4.30 pm, I propose the question:
That the Assembly do now adjourn.
Mr Berry: I require the question to be put forthwith without debate.
Question resolved in the negative.
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