Page 489 - Week 02 - Thursday, 3 March 1994
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Mr Berry: Read on, read on.
MR KAINE: If you listen to my question you might give me a decent answer to it, Minister. Stop your yapping and listen to the question.
Mr Berry: You read on. Read all that was in the report. Do not try to mislead this place.
MADAM SPEAKER: Order!
Mr Humphries: Madam Speaker, I take a point of order.
MR KAINE: If Mr Berry wants a debate on this issue, Madam Speaker, I will move a motion and we will have a debate on it. He might like to answer my question.
MADAM SPEAKER: I think Mr Humphries has a point of order, Mr Kaine.
Mr Humphries: Mr Berry suggested that Mr Kaine was misleading the place. I would ask that he withdraw that statement.
Mr Berry: I warned him against trying to do that because - - -
MADAM SPEAKER: And that is quite different. Mr Kaine, proceed.
MR KAINE: Thank you, Madam Speaker. The advice that Mr Berry tabled says that the ACT Government is not exposed to any liability as a result of this deal. Since ACTTAB is an agency of the ACT Government, and since ACTTAB is insured for only a limited sum, how can the Minister say, and how can he be advised, that the ACT Government can have no liability if their deal with VITAB goes bad and, under the provisions of the contract, ACTTAB or the ACT Government, or somebody, has to take some of that money out of the bag? How can he give us the assurance that there is no liability resting with the ACT Government?
MR BERRY: I warned you against doing that, and you did not listen.
Mr Kaine: I am waiting for you to answer.
MADAM SPEAKER: Mr Berry, I believe that you are being asked for a legal opinion and that - - -
Mr Kaine: No; I am not asking for an opinion. I want to know how it is that the Government has no liability.
MADAM SPEAKER: Okay. Mr Berry, continue.
MR BERRY: I will offer no legal advice, Madam Speaker. You can rest assured of that. What I will say is that, had Mr Kaine read on a little further - I am sure that he is quite aware of this; that is why I warned him about forgetting to read out that little part - it is very clear, in the advice that I have had, that ACTTAB had taken action to make sure that they were protected, and I was satisfied that they did so.
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