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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 12 Hansard (13 November) . . Page.. 4111 ..

MR MOORE (continuing):

The second issue, I think, that you raise, effectively, is the voluntary code of practice on gambling. I do not think the voluntary code of practice has a great deal to do with the particular piece of legislation that I have on the table, it is much more about a perception of conflict of interest and about a conflict of interest. Well, it was really a $1m conflict of interest.

MR HIRD: My question is to the Chief Minister. In recent weeks I note that Mrs Carnell has attended a number of meetings including Leaders Forums and COAG where she would have had the opportunity to speak to the Premier of New South Wales. I ask the Chief Minister: Can she categorically rule out today, in this parliament, that she has had secret talks with Mr Carr about selling ACTEW, in line with his Government's commitment to privatise the $25 billion power industry in New South Wales?

MRS CARNELL: Mr Speaker, I can categorically state that I have had no discussions whatsoever with Mr Carr about ACTEW or the New South Wales Government's intention to sell off its power industry. But, Mr Speaker, I know who has.

Mr Humphries: Who?

MRS CARNELL: And that person knows who he is, too. In fact, he is right over there, Mr Speaker. The person who has been having secret talks with Bob Carr about selling ACTEW is none other than Wayne Berry. Yes; the politician who accuses this Government of doing deals behind closed doors, failing to consult and seeking favours is the same person who is up to his neck in a deal with the New South Wales Government. How many times have we heard Mr Berry or Mr Overtime - Mr Whitecross, before he asks me to withdraw it - tell the world that Labor is not interested in selling off ACTEW? Over and over again comes the line that Labor will not sell ACTEW. So why, then, would Mr Berry have held secret talks with the Premier of New South Wales in Sydney, down there with those nasty people from New South Wales, on more than one occasion? Well, we know why, because it seems in this case, anyway, the walls have ears. We now know that not only did Mr Berry meet with Mr Carr, but our sources in Sydney tell us that privatisation and the carve-up of the New South Wales power industry were specifically discussed.

What was the deal that was done behind closed doors? Well, obviously, Mr Berry knows. But would Mr Berry be prepared to tell us? I surely doubt it. However, I understand that it has a lot to do with funding a raft of big spending election promises that Mr Berry plans to trot out over the coming months. We know that when Mr Berry comes out with outrageous claims, which he does most days, the media, because they are so used to Mr Berry's outrageous claims, simply shrug their shoulders and say, "Well, that is just Wayne; what else do you expect?". There has been very little scrutiny of Mr Berry's agenda, and it seems that he is relying on that continuing right through the election campaign, a campaign that will include its fair share of big spending promises. But now the cat is out of the bag. The Labor Party will pay for those promises with the proceeds of the sale of ACTEW.

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