Page 307 - Week 02 - Tuesday, 1 March 1994
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ACTTAB - Contract with VITAB Ltd
MR WESTENDE: My question is to the Deputy Chief Minister in his capacity as Minister for Sport. Minister, does the contract between ACTTAB and VITAB allow the ACT Government to have access to all reports and activities, betting records, financial transactions and turnover in order to protect the interests of the ACT taxpayers?
MR BERRY: As the member would appreciate, there are a lot of details in the contract which are, of course, commercial-in-confidence, and I have indicated in this place before that I will not be tabling the contract.
Mr Humphries: How can that be commercial-in-confidence?
MR BERRY: Hang on a minute. As I have said a dozen times before, it has been checked by Treasury as profitable for the ACT; it has been checked by the Law Office as safe. So on both of those grounds I think you ought to be satisfied. The proper checks have been made by both of those agencies. On those grounds, of course, the investment by ACT punters is safe because we are, as I have said before, giving a - - -
Mrs Carnell: How do we know?
MR BERRY: Because it has been checked by the government agency responsible, Treasury, and it has been checked by the Law Office. They provide us with advice across a whole range of issues. We accept their advice on this score, and the investment returns for the ACT are good ones. As I informed you earlier, our return has been a good one and we have recovered the set-up costs.
I should answer in relation to Mr Kaine's question. Those dates have just been provided to me. Mr Colquhoun was on the board of ACTTAB until 13 December 1992. You have to note, though, that that was the corporatised ACTTAB board. ACTTAB commenced negotiations with VITAB on 28 June 1993, some time later. The first meeting was held in late July 1993 and the agreement was signed on 22 October 1993. They were the dates you were after, were they not?
Mr Kaine: Yes.
MR BERRY: The point is that Mr Colquhoun's term concluded in December 1992.
Mrs Carnell: Was it extended?
MR BERRY: It concluded. It ceased.
MR WESTENDE: I ask a supplementary question, Madam Speaker. Minister, is the contract an exclusive contract? If so, why is it then commercial-in-confidence?
MR BERRY: I have told you before that you are not getting a copy of the contract from me, no matter what means you choose to pursue.
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