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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 1 Hansard (20 February) . . Page.. 261 ..

Mr Moore: She is referring specifically to you.

MR HUMPHRIES: I am quite sure Mr Moore would disassociate himself from those comments. On the other side of the coin, I am quite certain that I am included in that description. I am also quite sure that my colleagues on the opposite side of the chamber are included in that description, because we have lots of other quotes on that subject by Ms Rees. Another quote is:

Canberra's politicians and bureaucrats are guilty of "massive deceit" ...

There is no perception business here, Mr Moore; there is nothing about perception. It reads:

Canberra's politicians and bureaucrats are guilty of "massive deceit" in trying to defend their actions over the establishment of new planning and land management processes, the convenor of the Save Our City coalition of community groups, Jacqui Rees, says.

His (Gary Prattley's) proposals reek of the 1880s when there was no distance between government and land sales, with the result that rampant corruption in land dealings fuelled the crisis which led to the 1890s financial crash ...

I have to say to you that I think many of the things in here are unfair and unbalanced and ought not to have been said, or at least ought to have been justified if they had been said, and they were not.

Mr Moore referred to the Stein inquiry, and I am glad he did. He pointed out that many accusations were made before the Stein inquiry and that these accusations were carefully canvassed in the report. He pointed out, accurately, that the inquiry did not make findings on many of the accusations made before it. That is very true. In fact, as far as I can determine, almost all of the accusations about specific acts of misconduct, corruption and wrongdoing levelled to some extent against this Government, but particularly against the former Government, were not commented upon in any authoritative, confirmatory sense.

Mr Moore: Because they decided not to investigate them.

MR HUMPHRIES: But, Mr Moore, that is not what Ms Rees said on radio only yesterday morning. Did you hear those comments? Ms Rees said that every claim made before the Stein inquiry was vindicated by the Stein inquiry.

Mr Moore: It was.

MR HUMPHRIES: No, it was not. I am glad you said that. I quote:

Submissions to the Inquiry made wide-ranging claims of possible maladministration or impropriety.

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