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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1998 Week 4 Hansard (24 June) . . Page.. 962 ..

MR CORBELL (continuing):

Mr Speaker, it is a simple proposition; it is a decent proposition; and it is the way that privatisations should have always been dealt with. But we have seen from the Government already that they have a very clear privatisation agenda, that they have a very clear agenda that is heading down the road of selling off valuable Territory-owned assets simply for the purposes of plugging a hole in their budget. We have seen it, as my colleague Mr Quinlan pointed out earlier, in relation to Ecowise, where we have a significant business undertaking of ACTEW being prepared for sale and being openly discussed for sale. Indeed, it would look like it is about to be sold. At the moment, under the Territory Owned Corporations Act, as it currently stands, the Government can decide to sell and inform the Assembly afterwards, within 15 sitting days. They will tell us afterwards. That is all they have to do; that is all they are required to do.

We do not believe that is an acceptable approach. We believe that the decent approach is to allow the Assembly to decide whether or not these assets are sold. That gives the people of Canberra the opportunity to decide whether or not these assets are sold. I thank members for their indication of support this evening, and I urge all members to support this Bill which will give the people of Canberra a say on whether or not the assets that they own are privatised.

Question put:

That this Bill be agreed to in principle.

The Assembly voted -

AYES, 9	 	NOES, 8

Mr Berry	Ms Carnell
Mr Corbell	Mr Cornwell
Mr Hargreaves	Mr Hird
Mr Osborne	Mr Humphries
Mr Quinlan	Mr Kaine
Mr Rugendyke	Mr Moore
Mr Stanhope	Mr Smyth
Ms Tucker	Mr Stefaniak
Mr Wood

Bill agreed to in principle.

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