Page 305 - Week 02 - Tuesday, 1 March 1994
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MR BERRY: Because we never - - -
Mrs Carnell: They did not think about it.
Mr De Domenico: Because he likes - - -
MADAM SPEAKER: Order! Let the Minister answer the question.
MR BERRY: There is another thing which interests me in this whole debate. I wonder whether the Liberals asked Mr Colquhoun whether it was all right if they mentioned his name in the course of this debate. Did you ask him that before you mentioned - - -
Mr Cornwell: Madam Speaker, that was not my question, with respect.
MADAM SPEAKER: Thank you, Mr Cornwell.
MR BERRY: It troubles me that somebody's name is mentioned in this place.
Mrs Carnell: I would not be too worried.
MR BERRY: It does not help Mr Colquhoun to have his name mentioned in here without his permission.
Mrs Carnell: I think you can be quite comfortable.
MR BERRY: The Liberals say that he would be quite comfortable with having his name mentioned here in the context of their attack on the Government.
Mr Kaine: It does not do him any harm because we are not suggesting that he is at fault. It is you who are at fault.
MADAM SPEAKER: Order! The Minister will answer the question.
MR BERRY: That is good, as long as I know that. In relation to our ambitions overseas, we have none. We have no ambitions to open agencies overseas. We have not had them in the past. No decision has been made to open agencies overseas. The VITAB arrangement requires little work from us.
Mr De Domenico: It gets little profit, too.
MR BERRY: In the first month we have just about recovered our set-up costs. You tell me a business that can do that and I will be in it. You people would not even be in here if you could find businesses like that. Let us stop kidding ourselves. Lou is smiling. He knows what I am talking about. A business arrangement - - -
Mr Westende: I turned a $3,000 a day loss into a profit in less than your time.
MR BERRY: That is right. You know what I am talking about. If you can do it in the first month or so of operation it is even better, is it not? We have no ambitions. VITAB offered us a deal which was cleared by Treasury and the Law Office as safe and profitable.
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