Page 4292 - Week 14 - Tuesday, 7 December 1993
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MS FOLLETT: I thank Ms Szuty for the question and also for giving me a little notice of it. I imagine that many members have received the same letter that I have from the organisers of this confest, referring to their apparent failure to attract funding from the Office of the Status of Women and requesting that they receive funding from the ACT Government. Right at the start, I want to say that the Government has made no decision on this matter. It is not right to say that we have rejected them for funding. We have not made any decision.
As it does appear that this particular function has been denied funding by the Federal Government, I want to say, as I have said many times, that it is wrong to assume that when any project or activity is denied funding from the Commonwealth it automatically is funded by the Territory. That is simply not the case, nor is it likely ever to be the case. For one thing, it is unlikely that the Territory's funding programs would exactly duplicate those of the Commonwealth. Indeed, we have been to quite some pains in recent years to avoid that kind of duplication. You have to bear in mind also that the Commonwealth has far more means at its disposal. If the Territory were simply to pick up everything that was not funded by the Commonwealth, we would be in the poorhouse in very short order.
I am advised that this association has applied to the ACT Government's Health Promotion Fund for funding to support a visual art exhibition to be run in conjunction with the national confest. That application has been considered by the Health Promotion Fund Advisory Committee, but its recommendations are yet to be considered by the Government.
ACTTAB - Contract with VITAB Ltd
MR DE DOMENICO: My question without notice is to the Deputy Chief Minister in his capacity as Minister for Sport. I refer to ACTTAB's contract with VITAB. Minister, prior to the signing of the contract, what inquiries, if any, were conducted into the bona fides of VITAB? Besides Mr Hawke, the former Prime Minister, who are the major shareholders or directors of VITAB?
MR BERRY: I do not have with me the names of all of the shareholders.
Mr Kaine: He did not ask you for the shareholders, did he?
MR BERRY: The directors. I will have a look at that matter and report in due course.
Mr De Domenico: What about the first part of the question? Did you check the company out first, before you signed the contract?
MR BERRY: I have answered this question before, over and over again. The fact of the matter is that the Law Office and Treasury had a good look at this issue before it came to me for approval. It was felt that the contract was a good one and that the outcome for the Territory would be a good one. On the basis of the Treasury's and the Law Office's advice and advice from TAB officers, I was prepared to sign it and agree.
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