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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1999 Week 8 Hansard (25 August) . . Page.. 2360 ..

Mr Berry: What about the contracts for Bruce Stadium? Why don't you give them to us?

MS CARNELL: What happened as a result of the Stein inquiry? No evidence. There was no substantiated evidence of corruption, even after we had had an inquiry. Similarly, when Mr Collaery brought allegations of corruption early on in the first Assembly, no substantiated allegations came forward. As we know, in this Assembly we have a capacity to have an inquiry under the Inquiries Act. We have a capacity to have a royal commission. Both of those entities have very wide-ranging powers to request information, to take evidence, or to subpoena witnesses - all of the sorts of things that an ICAC or a CJC or whatever we want to call it would have; yet no member of this Assembly has put forward a request or a requirement for an inquiry under the Inquiries Act into anything.

Those opposite made some comments on Bruce Stadium, and Mr Berry did it again a minute ago. They have every capacity, if they want to and if they believe that there was any corruption or any misuse of funds, to bring forward an inquiry under the Inquiries Act if they have any evidence of wrongdoing. The fact is there are no allegations of corruption or wrongdoing with regard to Bruce Stadium. There are not even any allegations, Mr Speaker. That is where it comes down to, a balance, as it always is in any parliament - a balance between the evidence of need and the cost of any proposal.

I think it is important to look at what ICAC costs in New South Wales to the taxpayer. I think last year it cost $15m. In Queensland it was $20m last year. Now, that sort of money would not be a problem if it actually produced outcomes, but remember that that is $20m or $15m that is not being spent on health or education. So you have to be confident in any parliament if you go down that path. Even if you assume that in the ACT it only costs $5m, what could we do in police for $5m, Mr Humphries? For a start we could have more police out there on the beat making our society a safer place. What could we do in health? We could have - - -

Mr Quinlan: Five thousand seats at Bruce.

MS CARNELL: Absolutely. All of those things are benefits to the taxpayer, whether it be a sporting stadium, whether it be disabilities, mental health, police or education. On the other side of the agenda, nobody has put forward any benefit to the community generally as a result of this proposal because there are no allegations. This is truly silly. From Mr Kaine's perspective, I have to say you really wonder about the politics. Mr Kaine was Chief Minister of this place. Where was the proposal then?

Mr Moore: Well, where is Mr Kaine now?

MS CARNELL: Where is Mr Kaine now? He has gone. Mr Kaine was a Minister. I am sure Mr Humphries would agree that Mr Kaine never put forward a proposal for this sort of legislation. Mr Kaine was a Leader of the Opposition. You can say, "Well, you do not bring forward these things when you are in government", but he was Leader of the Opposition. Did he bring it forward then?

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