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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2002 Week 1 Hansard (11 December) . . Page.. 101 ..
MR SMYTH (continuing):
The opinion that although no actual conflict of interest situation existed there was a public perception that a conflict of interest existed for the Chairman, and that the CTEC Board took reasonable steps to manage the perception was based on the following findings.
- Debate in the Legislative Assembly and subsequent media comment led to a public perception of a conflict of interest.
There was no conflict of interest. How did the perception that there was get started? Things were asserted in this place that simply were not true. I think it behoves us all to make sure that when we go public we know what we are talking about before we put the reputations of citizens of this territory at risk.
I look forward to apologies from those who made comments that alleged or imputed that there was a conflict of interest. I look forward to apologies to those two men who were slurred by what happened in this place. The Auditor makes it quite clear that that was wrong.
The report makes some suggestions. I am sure some will clutch at these suggestions as an indication that there was something untoward going on. They are about process and better ways of doing things. We can all learn better ways to do things. The opinion that the decision to relocate to Brindabella Business Park was soundly based is supported by the following positive findings:
- CTEC considered the accommodation in a timely manner ...
- CTEC engaged a qualified consultant ...
- A wide range of opinions was received ...
- Properties were short-listed ...
- Accommodation options were considered ...
- The decision to relocate to Brindabella Business Park was consistent with the outcomes of the financial analysis; that is, the Brindabella Business Park option provided accommodation that best suited CTEC's requirements and was least expensive overall.
MR SPEAKER: The member's time has expired.
Child-care places in Gungahlin
MR CORBELL (Minister for Education, Youth and Family Services, Minister for Planning and Minister for Industrial Relations) (4.54): Mr Smyth has raised in the adjournment debate this evening the issue of child-care places in Gungahlin. I just want to clarify Mr Smyth's comments, because Mr Smyth seems to be putting forward the suggestion that if the Liberal Party had been re-elected to government they would have proceeded in the same way Labor has proceeded and immediately addressed the crisis in child-care places in Gungahlin.
Mr Speaker, this is not the case. What Mr Smyth fails to outline is that the Liberal Party had no intention of adding any more than the 90 places they had already committed through the budget process. That is the difference-and it is a big difference for families who are waiting to get a long-day child-care place in Gungahlin close to where they live and where they can drop their child off on the way to work. Perhaps they work part time
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