Page 578 - Week 03 - Tuesday, 12 April 1994
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MR BERRY: I did not meet with him. I make that clear. He met briefly in the course of the negotiations which led up to the arrangement with VITAB, but Mr Bartholomew is not a director. But you blackened his name well and truly. The Liberals made some reference to Mr Bartholomew as if there were some criminality on the part of the Government for a meeting having been held with him at one stage. That is absolute nonsense.
The ACT Magistrates Court, in a telephone conversation of 12 April, today, have confirmed that an examination of the records of the court for the period from 5 August 1991 to date indicates that Peter James Bartholomew is not recorded as having been a party to any proceedings in the court commenced by an information pursuant to section 25 of the Magistrates Court Act 1930. I table that, Madam Speaker.
Mrs Carnell: How about 1981?
Mr De Domenico: How far back does that go?
Mrs Carnell: We did not hear you.
MR BERRY: You can have a look at the document yourself. There has also been some effort to blacken the name of Mr McMahon, and of course every effort has been made by the Liberals to blacken anybody within range of them. Throw a bit of mud and a little bit will stick, and perhaps a little will stick on the Government. That is the aim. I have in front of me, Madam Speaker, a letter from the Australian Federal Police. It is a police certificate relating to a name check only. In respect of Cornelius Joseph McMahon, whose address is given, it states:
This is to certify that the above named is not recorded in the Criminal indices of the Australian Federal Police.
Mrs Carnell: What about the Victoria Police?
MR BERRY: That is cleared from the Australian Federal Police, as far as the Government is aware.
Mrs Carnell: It was the Victoria Police Force.
MADAM SPEAKER: Mrs Carnell, I remind you that you were heard in silence. Order!
MR BERRY: That is the sort of information that comes into the hands of the Government. We are very careful about issues of privacy. The Opposition are not and they do not care, but I do, and I am not very happy about the way that these people have blackened the names of individuals that may have been associated in one way or another with the lead-up to, or part of, the arrangement between the ACT Government and VITAB. I table that letter too, Madam Speaker. I would now like to go to Mr Michael Dowd. There has been an attempt to blacken Mr Dowd as well.
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