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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 6 Hansard (17 June) . . Page.. 1633 ..

MRS CARNELL (continuing):

I do not know how else you could explain some of the bizarre statements coming out of what was widely regarded as the last bastion of the Labor Party's loony Left; and, boy, it sounded loony over the weekend. It even had the Labor Party leader, whose name I cannot quite recall - and nor can anybody else - unwittingly backing Liberal Government policy. What we heard was the Labor leader unwittingly - and I am sure it was unwittingly - backing Liberal Government policy; but more about that in a moment.

Mr Speaker, I must admit to being a little stunned at reading that Mr Corbell, who clearly wants the new title of Mr Business - Mr Berry had better watch out because the title looks like being sucked away by Mr Corbell - had a road to Damascus experience on the way to the conference. The same Mr Corbell, who, in this place, has railed against the evils of capitalism and denigrated the high-speed rail project, suddenly turns out to be a big fan of a privatised airport and an even bigger fan of the same high-speed rail link to Sydney.

Mr Corbell: On a point of order, Mr Speaker - - -

MR SPEAKER: You will have a chance to make a personal explanation at the end of question time if you wish to.

MRS CARNELL: One wonders whether, on that road to Damascus, he ended up having a little chat to certain CFMEU officials in the Labor Club foyer.

For sheer hypocrisy, nothing could beat the tortured logic of the Labor Party leader. On the one hand, he seemed to have made an assertion that Canberra does not need to attract new businesses or new jobs from interstate. What an amazing statement! There was even a ringing condemnation of the Government for daring to try to lure investment and jobs from interstate to Canberra. What a shocking thing to do! By the way, this Government will continue to do so. But then, in the very next breath, came a promise that a Labor government would look outside the ACT to attract new businesses that complemented existing industries. On the one hand, he says, "No new businesses; this is a fixation of the current Government"; and then, on the other hand, he says, "But, of course, we will do it anyway". As contradictions go, it was a gold medal performance, I have to say.

But, unfortunately, it gets worse for the Labor leader. I have here the guidelines for the ACT business incentive scheme.

Mr Whitecross: Yes; I have read it. Have you?

MRS CARNELL: Mr Whitecross says he has read it. It is obvious that he has read it, because his speech at the Labor Party conference was based on it. It was a pity that he did not give us a bit of a by-line there, Mr Speaker. The guidelines for the ACT business incentive scheme make it clear that the assessment of applications is based on the suitability of the industry to the ACT - I will say that again; the suitability of the industry to the ACT - the soundness of the business case and the contribution to the ACT economy. That is exactly what Mr Whitecross said the Labor Party policy was; so, I was actually very pleased about that. As Mr Whitecross acknowledges now, he has read it; and it was fairly obvious.

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