Page 481 - Week 02 - Thursday, 3 March 1994
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
MR STEVENSON: I have a supplementary question, Madam Speaker. Mr Connolly said "as quickly as we can". I understand that that is his intention. There are many business people in Canberra whose leases are just about ready to run out. A gentleman came to see me last night. He said that his lease ran out a couple of days ago. This can make the difference between whether these businesses continue or not. Could Mr Connolly give some indication to these people as to when they will be likely to have some protection?
MR CONNOLLY: Madam Speaker, I had hoped that we could have said now, because we would have had agreement between BOMA, representing landlords, and the tenants association to implement it. On the very last day of negotiations, which was late January or early February, BOMA walked away from the table. The delay is not the Government's fault. We have done all we can, over years, to reach agreement. BOMA has walked away from the table. We have a code of practice, a very detailed document, which I am happy to provide to Assembly members. It is really in the hands of the Assembly. What I need to do is to negotiate with Assembly members to get sufficient support in this Assembly for a very small amendment to the Fair Trading Act which would then allow our code of practice, or a negotiated variant of our code of practice, to have the force of law in this Territory. During the six weeks that this Assembly is closed down and we are moving across the road, if Independent members have sufficient time in between packing boxes, I will be knocking on their doors to discuss this matter.
ACTTAB - Contract with VITAB Ltd
MR DE DOMENICO: Madam Speaker, my question without notice is to the Deputy Chief Minister in his capacity as Minister for Sport. Has the Minister investigated whether VITAB or any of its directors or representatives had any economic, family or corporate links with a Vanuatu based company called Nambawan owned by Mr Alan Tripp?
MR BERRY: I have not.
MR DE DOMENICO: I ask a supplementary question, Madam Speaker. Can the Minister assure the Assembly that Nambawan cannot get access to its Australian punters?
MR BERRY: Nambawan is a pidgin name for a betting company in Vanuatu. I have nothing to do with Nambawan. I do not know how they operate and - - -
Mr De Domenico: You say that you have not checked them out.
MR BERRY: It would be a nice job, I have to say. It would be a great job running around the South Sea Islands checking out all of the companies about which you want to raise suspicions.
Mr De Domenico: No, don't be silly. Your officers. You said all this was hunky-dory. It is a shonky deal. We want to know what you have done about it.
MADAM SPEAKER: Order! Mr De Domenico, it is your question. Let him answer it.
MR BERRY: The question of order comes up here too, Madam Speaker. Does the Minister have anything to do with Nambawan? Does the ACT Government have anything to do with Nambawan? The answer is no.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .