Page 2629 - Week 09 - Wednesday, 24 August 1994
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So how can this Chief Minister stand in this place and say that the people of the ACT are not going to be the losers on this deal? Of course, she cannot. It goes to show what she knows about business, and it goes to show what she will do in order to try to protect her political mates. That is what it is all about. This deal, from start to finish, has been a classic example of "Do not let your mates do the deals for you, because once you do that things will go wrong". It also says, "Do not keep things secret". The third lesson people have to learn is this: If you make a mistake, admit to it; do not try to run away from it, because the harder you run the deeper you get into it.
MR LAMONT (Minister for Urban Services, Minister for Housing and Community Services, Minister for Industrial Relations and Minister for Sport) (4.14): Madam Speaker, I have listened with interest to the comments that have been made by Mrs Carnell and Mr De Domenico. I, too, have a copy of a press release dated 17 June, which was issued at 1.49 pm, I think. I will come back to that in a moment. It came out of the office of Mr Downy, the New South Wales Racing Minister. I found it absolutely incredible that Mrs Carnell would come into this chamber yesterday and suggest that it was "because of the arrogant way in which Mr Lamont had approached the New South Wales Minister's office". That is what Mrs Carnell said yesterday. This "arrogant way in which Mr Lamont approached the New South Wales Minister's office" was allegedly on 17 June. Is it not surprising that I never contacted the Minister's office prior to 17 June? I never spoke to Mr Downy prior to 17 June. In fact, the only correspondence that I had with Mr Downy on or before that date reads as follows, and you can judge for yourself the sheer arrogance of it:
Dear Minister - - -
Ms Ellis: That is pretty arrogant.
MR LAMONT: I am that sort of boy when I write a letter. I wrote:
Dear Minister
In regard to media speculation surrounding a pool to pool link between the ACTTAB and the NSW TAB I can give you my assurance that my staff were not involved in any way with the release of details of our meeting next Tuesday.
I intend to brief you personally regarding the delicate legal situation involved with the VITAB agreement.
It goes on.
Mr Kaine: Read us the arrogant bit. Do not leave out the arrogant bits.
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