Page 2640 - Week 10 - Tuesday, 13 August 1991
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So, I feel no shame at all about giving a commitment from the Labor Government to the provision of quality public hospital beds in the ACT. Also, in my ministerial statement, which I will bring to the attention of the house in due course, I will make it clear to Mr Humphries that it is only Labor in this Assembly that makes that commitment.
Bruce Stadium - Lease by Canberra Raiders
MR COLLAERY: Mr Speaker, my question is directed to the Minister for Sport, Mr Berry. Mr Berry, is it true that the $1m lodged by the New South Wales Rugby League with the Australian Institute of Sport, in trust, pending the finalisation of negotiations for the lease by the Raiders of Bruce Stadium, has been returned to the New South Wales Rugby League? If so, when was it returned, to your knowledge, and why was it returned?
Mr Duby: Don't look at the clock; there is plenty of time.
MR BERRY: Not quite. In fact, I had a look at the clock, and I reckon that I will need a lot more time than is available for this question. This is a very important question that requires an in-depth answer, because it is about the performance of the Alliance Government and, in particular, about the performance of the former Minister for sport. It was the former Minister for sport who was unable to clinch the deal. It was the former Minister for sport in the Alliance Government who muffed it, and left the negotiations in tatters. The Residents Rally failed again.
Mr Kaine: Who wrote the contract?
Mr Stefaniak: On 24 June 1989.
Mr Kaine: Who wrote the contract?
MR SPEAKER: Order, members, please!
MR BERRY: Thank you, Mr Speaker. It would be a pleasure to be able to rise and answer a question in this house with some silence from the people opposite. But they do not seem to be able to sit there quietly whenever I get to my feet.
The former Minister failed to clinch the deal; he had a lot of time to do it, and, of course, Labor was left to clean up the mess. At the time negotiations were proceeding the signs of difficulties in the Raiders' management area began to show. Of course, that further complicated the issue. But the most important part of my answer relates to the failure of the former Minister to clinch this deal. That meant that when Labor came into office we had a situation where there was a million dollars outstanding, if you like.
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