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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 1 Hansard (15 February) . . Page.. 30 ..
MS CARNELL: No, we perceive them to be in line, Mr Speaker.
MR QUINLAN: Mr Speaker, my question is to the Treasurer and it relates to the proposed ACTEW/AGL joint venture, and this is likely to be near the top of his PAQs, I expect. I appreciate that the Chief Minister was out of town last Friday and the job of ringing up to interrupt ALP interviews on the ABC fell to you, Treasurer. You called ABC radio on Friday in relation to the ownership or potential ownership of the assets and said:
But the ownership of the assets which are brought to the table by ACTEW stay with ACTEW. There is no transfer of any assets.
However, separate documentation from AGL and from ACTEW implies fairly clearly that there would be significant asset transfer from ACTEW to the new company. Can we get a clarification on that point?
MR HUMPHRIES: Yes, Mr Speaker, I am very happy to help Mr Quinlan understand what has been proposed. Mr Speaker, the Government will be tabling legislation on Thursday this week which will outline, in a form which the Assembly can scrutinise at its leisure, the proposal which the Government will put forward for the joint venture between ACTEW and AGL. I am happy to outline for Mr Quinlan's benefit the nature of the relationship as proposed at this stage.
Mr Stanhope: And correct the mistake you made.
MR HUMPHRIES: No, Mr Speaker, I do not think I will be doing that.
Mr Stanhope: No, heaven forbid.
MR HUMPHRIES: If members would like to hear what I have to say I am very happy to tell them, otherwise I will leave it until another time, Mr Speaker. ACTEW will continue to own the water and sewerage assets which ACTEW presently owns and, as now, will not be able to dispose of them without Assembly resolution, pursuant to the amendment to the TOC Act which Mr Corbell was responsible for. ACTEW will contract with the partnership - that is, the joint venture partnership which is being proposed and of which we have already spoken - to operate and maintain the water and sewerage assets, and this contract will specify service delivery and health and environmental standards to be met by the partnership. If it is ever necessary to terminate the water and sewerage operations and the maintenance contract, ACTEW's continued ownership of those assets and its role as ultimate employer of staff will allow it to resume direct service delivery.
As far as the supply of electricity is concerned, ACTEW's electricity assets will be transferred to the partnership, but if the partnership is ever dissolved the electricity business will revert to ACTEW in accordance with preagreed conditions. As far as gas is concerned, ACTEW will gain a 50 per cent interest in AGL's ACT gas assets, and thus the community will gain a direct interest in the degree of control over gas utility services which it presently does not have.
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