Page 2709 - Week 09 - Thursday, 9 August 1990
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The misrepresentation, however, was that I said a fiat should be issued. I did not say that. I said that in considering whether to issue a fiat, the Attorney should act himself and should not pass the matter on for policy consideration from another Minister. I would also add that I drive neither a Fiat nor a Saab but a rather old Mitsubishi!
MR HUMPHRIES: Mr Acting Speaker, I claim to have been misrepresented and seek leave to make a personal explanation.
MR ACTING SPEAKER: Please proceed.
MR HUMPHRIES: Mr Berry issued a press release dated yesterday. I suspect he probably has not got his act together, and does not know which day of the week it is, because the release came out today. In it he says:
Health Minister Humphries said in the ACT Legislative Assembly in March this year that the cost of the project -
that is the hospital redevelopment project -
would not exceed $154 million and that Royal Canberra Hospital would close.
At the time of the Minister's statement I said that the costings were $41 million out on the Government's own estimate. Now a Finance Sub-committee Report has confirmed that in four months, the budget has blown out in excess of a massive $40 million...
That, Mr Acting Speaker, is simply and utterly untrue. There is no budget blowout in respect of the hospitals redevelopment project. I have every reason to expect that the hospital project will come in on budget and that will be on the budget of 154 million June 1989 dollars. Thanks to the Hawke Government of course, we have to deal with inflation. However, that figure stands firm. What we see here is another tawdry unmitigated lie by Mr Berry.
Mr Berry: Did he say, "a lie by Mr Berry"? I think "lie" is probably a bit over the top.
MR HUMPHRIES: It is entirely appropriate.
MR ACTING SPEAKER: Yes, lying is over the top.
Mr Kaine: I do not think so. If he publishes a lie in a public media statement, it is a lie. It stands on its merits.
Mr Berry: I think you ought to withdraw it, Gary.
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