Page 584 - Week 03 - Tuesday, 12 April 1994
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MR BERRY: These discussions commenced on 12 August and concluded on 13 September 1993 - well before the contract was signed.
Mrs Carnell: Table it.
MR BERRY: Madam Speaker, despite the interjections, I seek leave to table a statutory declaration from ACTTAB's chief executive, Mr Neck, in relation to the key meeting of 10 September 1993.
Mrs Carnell: What about the letter from VicTAB?
MADAM SPEAKER: You may just table it, Minister. Mrs Carnell, I would ask you to cease interjecting.
MR BERRY: Madam Speaker, whilst I have tabled that statutory declaration, I will go through the tedious process of referring to it, because it is an important piece of information. Mr Neck, of course, has made the declaration. He declares himself as the chief executive officer. He talks about on 11 April 1994 asking Mr Kolomanski, a director of VITAB Ltd, "whether at the time VITAB was negotiating with ACT/TAB it had also been negotiating a similar arrangement with the Queensland TAB". He goes on to say:
He confirmed to me that those negotiations with the Queensland TAB to provide similar off-shore betting services to VITAB had continued up to the time when the ACTTAB/VITAB Contract was signed on the 22nd October 1993.
In August 1993, during negotiations with VITAB, Mr Kolomanski asked ACT/TAB to confirm that there was access to the Victorian TAB super pool. On the 12th August 1993 I contacted the Chief General Manager of the Victorian TAB, Mr Neil Walker, and advised him that ACTTAB was negotiating a contract to provide off-shore betting services to VITAB and that it was the intention that these bets be pooled with ACT/TAB's other bets into the Victorian TAB super pool. Later on the 17th August 1993, Mr Walker requested confirmation of certain matters.
There is a copy of a letter in relation to that, and I will come to it shortly. On 1 September Mr Neck faxed to Mr Walker a reply containing the information he had requested in respect of VITAB, and a copy of that letter is attached to the statutory declaration. On 9 September Mr Neck flew to Melbourne and arranged to meet with Mr Walker at 3.00 pm to discuss the VITAB proposal. He goes on to say:
Mr Walker told me that it was not the Victorian TAB position to inhibit another TAB's commercial ventures.
That is what ACTTAB was told. Mr Neck further states:
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