Page 560 - Week 03 - Tuesday, 12 April 1994
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Madam Speaker, the VITAB arrangement was one that we were quite impressed with in terms of the opportunities that it would present to the ACT Government ...
The TAB's arrangement with VITAB is a particularly encouraging initiative which will also see the ACT at the forefront of computing and communication technology. These are things that you probably are not interested in because they are positives ...
Most importantly, this is about ensuring that the Territory is safe, and it is good value for money.
Very assertive, very direct; no qualifications, no ifs or buts. "This is the fact", he was saying. Again I quote from Hansard of 23 November:
The agreement will return for the ACT significant amounts of money, at little cost to the Territory Government.
Again, he said on 23 November:
You have to look at the big picture, and the Liberals never do that. VITAB received the second licence - the second licence, not the first - and whoever provides the support services would make no difference. The possibilities for ACT punters are endless in the Australian context. You can ring whom you like and put on a bet, the same as it is possible for people all over the country to put a bet on in the ACT.
He went on to say, on 8 December:
It was a decision that was made by me in the normal course of my consideration of matters that are important for the ACTTAB. It was subsequently signed, as I reported to you yesterday, by the chairman of the TAB, among others.
Direct, forceful, informative. I want now to quote from Mr Berry's answering of questions on 22 February 1994. Mr Berry, in the meantime, had had certain knowledge come to him about the ACTTAB being expelled from VicTAB. Listen to the change in the tenor of the answers he gave then. I will emphasise certain words. This is in answer to a question from Mrs Carnell:
In late July 1993 I was briefed on the proposed ACTTAB-VITAB arrangements by the chief executive of ACTTAB at that time. I was informed that discussions were being held between Mr Dan Kolomanski and Mr Con McMahon. I understand that the officers from ACTTAB primarily involved in the negotiations ...
At no time did I meet with any representatives of VITAB, nor was I privy to discussions at any meeting ...
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