Page 3604 - Week 12 - Thursday, 19 September 1991
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I sincerely hope, Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, that in the circumstances that the ACT presently finds itself in no-one would imagine that there would still be cuts of that order in the non-government sector - that is, $1.6m in this financial year - and yet no equivalent pain to the government sector. That clearly would be inequitable and would not have been tolerated by me as a Minister for Education. I hope I can say the same about this Government and this Minister, but I am not yet sure.
Bruce Stadium - Lease by Canberra Raiders
MR BERRY (Minister for Health and Minister for Sport) (6.20), in reply: I rise merely to comment on the issue of the contract for the Bruce Stadium. The real issue about that, of course, is that the former Government was unable to clinch the deal in the lead-up to the collapse of that Government. It is merely another difficult circumstance that this Government has inherited and has to deal with. Over the 18 months that the former Government was in office a quite slack approach was taken to the negotiations on the money which should have been in the coffers at a very early stage. It is significant that that money would have earned a great deal of interest and, of course, that is a matter of concern to any Treasurer who wants to balance a budget, as Rosemary Follett has set out to do in this case.
The real issue is that the then Attorney-General and Minister for sport, Mr Collaery, failed to give the proper attention that was required to settle that arrangement in relation to the Bruce Stadium with the Canberra Raiders. It was an unfortunate turn of events that, at about the time the Labor Government inherited the problem, management difficulties showed up in the Canberra Raiders. That has made it more difficult to proceed.
Those are the facts, and I think they are the facts that need to be placed on the record to ensure that there is no difficulty in determining the true position. I will close by saying that I was quite proud this morning to raise a new flag in Canberra, and I am sure that it will not be hanging at half-mast on Monday.
Question resolved in the affirmative.
Assembly adjourned at 6.22 pm until Tuesday, 15 October 1991, at 2.30 pm
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