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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 2 Hansard (28 February) . . Page.. 408 ..

CRA Ltd - Waiver of Stamp Duty

MR WHITECROSS: My question is directed to Mrs Carnell in her capacity as Chief Minister. Mrs Carnell, in return for your generous gift to the CRA group, did you receive a copy of their industrial relations strategy and perhaps a free training session based on the spectacular performance of that company in the Weipa mine dispute?

MRS CARNELL: Actually, I am very pleased to run with the Kate Lundy approach to industrial relations.

MR WHITECROSS: I have a supplementary question, Mr Speaker. Mrs Carnell, can you confirm that your strategy is based on the CRA model, which is confrontation, threats, police involvement and abuse of unions and their democratically elected officials, and has resulted in a five to nil loss so far for you in the Industrial Relations Commission?

Mr Kaine: On a point of order, Mr Speaker: I again draw your attention to standing order 119, which says that supplementary questions must contain no preamble and no new matter, and must be put precisely and directly. I think the member has contravened all three of those requirements.

MR SPEAKER: Mr Kaine, I do uphold your point of order. I have to step back. I am not even sure that this particular question, if it relates to the Weipa dispute, is within the purview of the Chief Minister of the ACT.

MR WHITECROSS: With respect to you, Mr Speaker, you have upheld Mr Kaine's point of order, even though my supplementary question contained no preamble, which was one of his complaints.

MR SPEAKER: If you are asking it in relation to an industrial relations policy - - -

MR WHITECROSS: It relates to contra that Mrs Carnell got for this generous gift to CRA. My question started with a verb, which is the normal form of a question. Is that strategy, the CRA strategy, the basis of your similarly unsuccessful industrial relations strategy, which is based on confrontation, threats, police involvement and abuse of unionists and their democratically elected officials, and has resulted in a five to nil loss for you in the Industrial Relations Commission?

MRS CARNELL: As I said quite categorically, our industrial relations policy is totally in line with the comments made by Paul Keating, I understand, in the debate on Sunday night, when he said quite categorically that wage increases should be based on the safety net plus productivity gains. That was reiterated this morning by Kate Lundy, president of the Trades and Labour Council and current Labor candidate.

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