Page 224 - Week 02 - Tuesday, 12 May 1992
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MR CONNOLLY: Mr Stevenson makes the point that this is a political issue in Canberra, and there are groups organising and agitating for and against on this particular issue. I thank him for the courtesy of indicating that he was interested in this issue, because I have been able to pull the information together. Australian Posters 3M, which is a company, has a contract for placing advertisements on ACTION buses. That contract with ACTION stipulates that no advertisement of a political nature is to be placed on buses, and that has been the case for quite some time. During the recent election campaign the Labor Party, using its usual innovative techniques, was the first into the back-of-taxi advertising. We were aware of the ban on bus advertising and did not seek to have that varied for us.
The Right to Life advertisements were placed on buses, without clearance from ACTION management. The practice in the past has been that the advertising company clears ads that may be seen to be political or seeks a view from ACTION management before placing the ad. They did not do that here. Following complaints from members of the public, ACTION sought a view as to whether these advertisements were of a political nature and prohibited by the contract. The view was that they were, and they were removed.
I would point out that the decision to remove the ads was taken by ACTION management before I became aware of the matter. So, I did not intervene in the matter before the ads had been withdrawn. As to the question of whether I would intervene to overrule ACTION management and thus allow the ads or not, a legal advising was sought. The effect of the legal advising has been passed on to Mr Humphries in relation to a request that he wrote - not the actual legal advising, but the authorities on which the Government Solicitor relied. I was confident of the nature of that advice and decided not to intervene, to allow the decision to stand. As a result of that, Australian Posters 3M has met with representatives of the Right to Life Association. I understand that recompense has been arranged, so they are not out of pocket.
The advertising company, Australian Posters 3M, has been reminded of the requirement to clear with ACTION management ads that may be political and of the clear contract provisions that preclude political advertisements. I would be happy to provide Mr Stevenson not with the entire contract with its commercial aspects but with the relevant clauses relating to political advertisements.
Ms Follett: I ask that further questions be placed on the notice paper, Madam Speaker.
PERSONAL EXPLANATIONS
MR KAINE (Leader of the Opposition): Madam Speaker, I seek leave to make a personal explanation, in accordance with section 46 of the standing orders.
Leave granted.
MR KAINE: Madam Speaker, the Chief Minister has twice today, and on a number of previous occasions, asserted that I increased payroll tax when I was Chief Minister. That is patently untrue, and the Chief Minister knows it to be so. Prior to the time when I was Chief Minister there was a progressive scale of payroll tax - 6, 7 and 8 per cent, depending on the size of your payroll. I levelled
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