Page 3863 - Week 15 - Tuesday, 15 December 1992
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
and raising occupational health and safety concerns. Consequently, the carpet is to be removed and a vinyl surface restored. The cost will be met by the contractor from within the current hospital redevelopment project and is not an additional expense to ACT Health. Wrong again, Kate.
In relation to the matter of tenders for the doors at the hospital, the architectural consultants specified that the doors should be either D.W. Revell Revco model CH of Australian manufacture or Speedmatic model 2w36 of American manufacture. There is an issue of commercial-in-confidence here, so I am not going to be as crude as Mrs Carnell and get into those areas which are matters of commercial-in-confidence. I thought that, coming from a business background, she would have understood that.
In accordance with ACT Public Works management procedures, three written quotations were sought and received for the supply of suitable doors. ACT Public Works is currently reviewing the technical specifications for the doors to establish performance standards, quality, client requirements and value for money. The tender process has closed and no contract has been let. Wrong again, Kate.
At this stage, along with the technical evaluation, ACT Public Works is undertaking a review of quotations prior to the acceptance of any tender. I understand from the media that one of the tenderers was able to reduce his tender by something like $3,000. That caused me to raise my eyebrows a little bit.
Mr Cornwell: Why?
MR BERRY: I wondered whether the original tender was fair dinkum or not and whether the ACT taxpayer would be very happy about somebody winning a contract, knowing that the tender was $3,000 too much.
Mr Kaine: That is a very interesting comment from a Minister - raising questions about a tenderer when you have not even finished the assessment yet.
MR BERRY: It was in the paper. I have to say that, on balance, it would be my preference for equivalent equipment of Australian manufacture to win the project. But they have to do it on merit. The ACT taxpayer would tolerate no less. These two particular doors were recommended by the architectural consultants who were engaged to deal with those sorts of things within the hospital redevelopment project.
I am committed to creating Australian jobs where it can be done fairly. I would like to test Mrs Carnell here. If she is really fair dinkum about protecting ACT jobs, I will go up to her chemist shop in Red Hill and help her unload the shelves that have imported products on them. I will also be prepared, after the Assembly breaks, to go to Queensland with her to help her take the stuff off the shelves of the pharmacy that she part-owns up there. If you are fair dinkum about it, let us go and rip them all out and throw them out in the street - all the French perfume, the lippy and all that stuff.
Ms Follett: I ask that further questions be placed on the notice paper.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .