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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 11 Hansard (5 November) . . Page.. 3633 ..

MRS CARNELL: Mr Speaker, I think I answered the last question, and the one before, exactly. But the problem really is that those opposite do not like the answer. That is the bottom line here. Mr Speaker, as I just said, I would have thought that those opposite would have known the answers to the questions that they have asked, simply because they were the ones that were involved in most of the negotiations and the agreements that have been in place with regard to gas, electricity and, of course, water.

Mr Speaker, again, my very efficient staff have managed to get for us the letter from the National Competition Council with regard to the gas agreement, as part of the intergovernmental agreements signed in 1995 and so on, which makes it very clear that - - -

Mr Berry: Would you like to table it?

MR SPEAKER: Are you tabling that?

MRS CARNELL: I am very happy to. Mr Speaker, with regard to part two, I think, of Mr Whitecross's comments, as to why I have not made a ministerial statement on the gas reform, I mentioned it yesterday in my ministerial statement on what was on at COAG this week. I made it very clear on the floor of this house yesterday, Mr Speaker. So much for that approach!

Mr Speaker, there is nothing in the gas reform package now that was not in the whole package right from the beginning. There are a number of documents that are on the public record - I say this for those opposite who have not been able to ascertain it or who were not briefed by Ms Follett or whoever was dealing with it in the past - that outline quite definitely when agreements were signed and what we are all aiming at achieving as a result of national competition policy and, of course, as a result of the Hilmer report and so on. All of these documents actually say exactly what was in each of the documents that were involved, Mr Speaker.

Mr Speaker, in the past, in the reports that I have given to the Assembly after COAG meetings, I have also run through the issues that were raised and with regard to gas as well. Such things as uniform national standards have very definitely been discussed - not just in this place, but certainly on the public record, Mr Speaker. What was the next bit - - -

MR SPEAKER: The $6m, $100m and $184m.

MRS CARNELL: Yes, how much is left. Mr Speaker, the amount of money that is still owing to the ACT is over $100m. We have had our first one or two payments for the first tranche of payments. The second tranche is another $6.3m or $6.6m over the period of nine years of the payments. We have over $100m still owing. So, if the ACT did not conform to national competition policy, that is exactly how much money we could lose. But in the next tranche it is $6.6m. So, it is actually quite simple - Mr Whitecross has not bothered to actually even look at this issue - and it is an important issue; but it is an issue that has been on the agenda since 1992, Mr Speaker, and one that has had significant consultation in that time.

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