Page 1828 - Week 07 - Tuesday, 15 June 1993
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Mr Kaine: The Minister will soon have his hands on that $17m of reserves.
MR DE DOMENICO: That is right, Mr Kaine. That is why we on this side of the house are worried stiff - and so should members opposite be, by the way. Madam Speaker, this is not an indication that ACTTAB needs fixing by applying more governmental control. On the contrary, it is an indication that ACTTAB is operating efficiently and effectively without day-to-day fetters upon its activities. So on the two bases that Mr Berry puts up, accountability and revenue, his arguments are not sustainable. One thinks, "Why, then, does Mr Berry want to put his hands on ACTTAB?".
Mr Kaine: Because he wants the $17m to balance next year's budget.
MR DE DOMENICO: That might be right, Mr Kaine. Let us look at the politics of the situation. If we did not look at the politics we would be remiss. Let me suggest this scenario: Why should Mr Berry want to touch ACTTAB if he did not make some sort of political promise to someone? We know what faction Mr Berry comes from. Mr Berry, we know, has this philosophical bent that precludes him from saying that anything that is corporatised is doing a good job. He has this block in the mind; that just because it has been run efficiently and profitably by a private-enterprise-type scheme it is no good. Well, the figures belie this belief.
I call this Bill, Madam Speaker, the Simon and Garfunkel Bill - "Now here's to you, Mrs Robinson" - because it seems to me that the only person in this town who wants anything like this Bill to go through happens to be someone who is advising Mr Berry from time to time. One might think that perhaps that is one way of getting onto the National Executive of the Labor Party; or perhaps Mr Berry is proving his machismo to the left wing that supports him by saying, "Listen, we will get this Bill through by hook or by crook". I am told, by the way, Madam Speaker, that even the Chief Minister had reservations about this Bill, but Mr Berry assured her of support from various Independents, and here we are debating it tonight. How do we know that? A lot of things leak to us from time to time.
Talking of leaks, Madam Speaker, it is interesting that from time to time members of this Government stand up and talk about that wonderful word "consultation". They consult with everybody; it is all hunky-dory; they are loved by everybody out there in the community. Let us have a look at what Mr Berry said in his Cabinet submission on this Bill. I quote paragraph 18 under the heading "Consultation". Whom did Mr Berry consult? He went into the Cabinet meeting and told his colleagues this - - -
Mr Berry: I am sorry; 19, Tony, on that one.
MR DE DOMENICO: No, 18. Paragraph 18 says that he consulted with the ACT Treasury, the Chief Minister's Department and the Government Solicitor's Office. Mr Berry, for your edification - it is your Cabinet submission - paragraph 19 says:
There has been no consultation with the racing industry including the ACTTAB.
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