Page 395 - Week 02 - Wednesday, 2 March 1994
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ACTTAB - Contract with VITAB Ltd
MR DE DOMENICO: Madam Speaker, my question without notice is to the Deputy Chief Minister.
Mr Berry: I thought it would be.
MR DE DOMENICO: It is in his capacity as Minister for Sport. Mr Minister, we will ask you questions until you turn blue or until you turn over all the documents. Minister, yesterday you informed the Assembly that the firm Price Waterhouse, Vanuatu, had provided you with advice in relation to VITAB. Could you now enlighten us as to who actually asked for the Price Waterhouse, Vanuatu, investigation to be done? What were Price Waterhouse asked to do? Finally, who paid for it?
MR BERRY: I think I need to paint the big picture again, to make sure that all of the advice is clear to those people opposite. I think it is most important that members fully understand what has occurred. The Price Waterhouse matter was arranged in terms of looking at the bona fides of the people - - -
Mrs Carnell: By whom?
MR BERRY: By Price Waterhouse.
Mr De Domenico: No; who asked them to look into it?
MR BERRY: By Price Waterhouse and, of course, they - - -
Mr De Domenico: Who asked them?
MR BERRY: They did that job. As well, and I will go through my advice in relation to this - - -
Members interjected.
MADAM SPEAKER: Order! The Minister is endeavouring to answer your question.
Mr Cornwell: He is not, you know, Madam Speaker.
MR BERRY: I am endeavouring to give you all of the information in one package, if you can just be patient. This matter was raised with me. I have a copy of the advice that was given to me in relation to the matter. Members will get the chance to read this once I have gone through some of those very important points. This was raised with me by Mr Neck in seeking my agreement to enter into a contract with VITAB. Mr Neck is from ACTTAB. He was seeking my agreement to enter into a contract with VITAB to provide betting services. That was, as you know, an Australian company, and it had at the time been granted, I was informed, the second betting licence. ACTTAB in turn had submitted a proposal to VITAB to provide the support that VITAB needed. What was proposed was very similar to the arrangement already established between ACTTAB and the Northern Territory TAB, which makes you lot look very silly.
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