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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 2 Hansard (26 February) . . Page.. 457 ..

MR HUMPHRIES (continuing):

Mr Speaker, there is no new Labor Party in this place; it is the same old mutton dressed up as lamb, as far as I am concerned. People, of course, may, as Mrs Littlewood suggests in her question, change their name; but it takes a lot to change the stench that attaches to some people's political records; and more than a name change will be required to get rid of that surrounding the Australian Labor Party.

Pool and Leisure Centres

MR CORBELL: My question is to the Minister for Sport and Recreation, Mr Stefaniak. I note that on page 5 of the Auditor-General's Report No. 1 of 1997, "Contracting Pool and Leisure Centres", the Auditor-General states, in relation to savings made by outsourcing:

The projected savings were based on the assumption that the losses under Government control would continue over the next five years. It may well be that if Bureau of Sport, Recreation and Racing managers had been given the opportunity of staff restructuring (including access to large amounts of redundancy moneys to pay out non-performing or unnecessary staff) similar savings may have been achieved.

Mrs Carnell: Are you suggesting getting rid of staff?

MR CORBELL: No, Chief Minister; that is the Auditor-General's comment. Minister, why was this option not considered?

MR STEFANIAK: That is amazing, Mr Speaker; that is the first time I have heard from this party for some time that they actually want to get rid of a lot of staff. I did not think, for starters, that you lot would have thought that would have been a terribly good idea, because the staff were employed under the Public Service Act and quite clearly - - -

Opposition members interjected.

MR SPEAKER: Order! Mr Stefaniak has the floor.

MR STEFANIAK: Thank you, Mr Speaker. I hark back to what I said to Mr Whitecross some time before. A long time ago all pools were run by councils or by governments. In more recent times, though, in most States and Territories, pools have been run by groups other than just governments, because that is more efficient.

Mr Corbell: What is the reason, Minister?

MR STEFANIAK: Because there are certain things, Mr Corbell, that governments can do, and do very well; and there are other things that can be done better by other groups.

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