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Australian Stock Exchange

MR BERRY: My question is directed to Mrs Carnell in her capacity as Chief Minister. I must say that I was interested in Mr Humphries's response in relation to Namadgi, when he said that he would basically leave no stone unquarried.

Mr Humphries: You will leave no stone uncast, will you, Wayne?

MR BERRY: That is certainly what I read into it, anyway, Mr Speaker.

MR SPEAKER: Or was it unflung?

MR BERRY: Leave that to me. Also, in directing my question to the Chief Minister, I cannot help thinking about the dud deal that was done on the Kingston-Acton swap, the fact that the negotiations were behind closed doors, and so on. But, in listening to her response to the Leader of the Opposition on the Stock Exchange matter, I found it difficult to understand what they were negotiating. Was there an offer on the table or was there not an offer on the table? What were they negotiating about? Or were we heading down the Kingston-Acton path again?

MR SPEAKER: I hope that we are heading down to asking a question, Mr Berry.

MR BERRY: If you had been listening, Mr Speaker, you would have heard me ask a question about whether or not there was something on the table. I would like the Chief Minister to let us know whether there is, in fact, a deal on the table or whether there is not. In relation to those meetings, I would like to know how many meetings there were, where they were held, and between whom, and the dates upon which they were held.

MRS CARNELL: It is always wonderful to get a question from Mr Business. We know that the only business that Mr Berry ever managed to enter into did not come to much. I said in answer to the last question, Mr Speaker - it is interesting to actually get the same question again; but that is fine - that, No. 1, there is no final offer on the table. Therefore, I cannot table it. I cannot give it to you, because it does not exist. There has been one meeting, as I said, between me and the chairman of the Stock Exchange, in my office in Canberra, up there. There were subsequent discussions between members of the Australian Stock Exchange and Treasury. There were also telephone discussions between my chief of staff and members of the Australian Stock Exchange, all leading up to a final offer, which we hope to get this week - - -

Ms Follett: But Queensland has got it.

MRS CARNELL: We hope.

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