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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 2 Hansard (1 March) . . Page.. 449 ..

MR HUMPHRIES: I am sure Mr Hargreaves did not ask that question with even the remotest hope that he would get an answer from me today. I would have to take it on notice. I am afraid I do not get a daily report on the progress of lists in the Magistrates Court. Therefore, he would not be at all surprised to hear me say that I will take the question on notice.

MR HARGREAVES: Thank you very much for the cute comments, Minister. I would like to ask a supplementary question, since the Minister is going to go away and fossick for the information. No doubt he will have people scurrying for it. Can the Attorney say what value of parking fines was forgone when the cases were dropped on 21 January? Does he agree that such a mismanagement of court listings creates a loophole for unscrupulous motorists to exploit by simply opting to defend such minor matters?

MR HUMPHRIES: I will take this question on notice, but I think Mr Hargreaves is suggesting that on 21 January because the list was deferred - - -

Mr Hargreaves: I did not say "deferred"; I said "dropped".

MR HUMPHRIES: Well, because the list was not proceeded with, the matters have been dropped and people are not getting prosecuted. I have not heard about that before. I will take that matter up. I would be very surprised if prosecutions were dropped simply because the list on the day was clogged. Mr Hargreaves could be right. I will check it out.

MR HIRD: My question is to the Chief Minister. I refer to a document released by the Chief Minister's Department in February last year entitled "Principles and Guidelines for the Treatment of Commercial Information held by ACT Government Agencies". Firstly, can the Chief Minister advise this parliament whether the Government has implemented these principles and guidelines in its dealings with the private sector? Does this represent a change in the approach that territory governments have taken to their management and release of commercial information?

MS CARNELL: I am not at all surprised that those opposite do not like this question, because for a long time - - -

Mr Stanhope: We do.

MR SPEAKER: Then you might like to listen to the answer.

MS CARNELL: For a long time now the word "secrecy" has been bandied around this Assembly. I know for a fact that debates about whether or not governments were being secretive go back a long way - right back to 1989 when the Assembly first started.

Mr Wood would remember his reluctance to discuss some aspects of the Australian International Hotel School during estimates in 1993. Why? Because of commercial sensitivities. Then there is the Harcourt Hill joint venture. Who knew at the time the

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