Page 595 - Week 03 - Tuesday, 12 April 1994
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the ACT and ACTTAB. After all, the ACT's interests and ACTTAB's interests are connected. Unlike the Liberals, who I say have deliberately undermined the efforts of the ACTTAB and the interests of the Territory, I have at all times sought to safeguard and enhance the interests of ACTTAB and the Territory.
As evidence of the unhelpful way in which the Liberals have behaved in this matter and their intention to undermine ACTTAB, I would like to table a document from the Victorian Minister for Sport, Recreation and Racing which I think shows, at one level at least, the collaboration between the local Liberals and the Liberal Minister. I know from advice from Mr De Domenico that he was in close contact with the Victorian Minister. He told me so in front of a television camera one day. Mrs Carnell told me on ABC radio that she had been in contact with the Victorians as well. So here we have, dated 25 March, written evidence of collaboration between local Liberals and my counterpart in Victoria.
Mr Humphries: So we have caused it all, have we?
MR BERRY: I do not think we will ever get to the bottom of what the Liberals were doing. For example, did you go down to Victoria or did you phone them up and say, "Look, Mr Reynolds, we want to preserve the income from the ACT that is coming to us from VITAB. We would seek your support."? I will bet you did not. No way. It is more likely that you said, "We think we have got Berry cornered this time; give us a hand. I think there is enough room to speculate about the collaboration between you and the Victorian Minister. I suspect that I will never know why it was that VicTAB changed its mind.
Mr De Domenico: It is our fault, is it?
Mr Humphries: That is a disgraceful allegation.
MADAM SPEAKER: Order! You will have your opportunity to deal with that later.
MR BERRY: It seems to be striking close to the bone. Madam Speaker, I view this whole event as a rather deplorable one on the basis of the Liberals' behaviour. It began, as I mentioned earlier, with an attack on this Government arising from its move to decorporatise the TAB, and it has gone on from that date. There has never been any support for our local TAB from this group opposite. They have thrown lots of mud. They have made all sorts of accusations about me. I see this accusation about my misleading this chamber as another element of their campaign.
I understand that, and I expect that they would go after a scalp in political terms; but I trust that those other members in this place who have a different view of the world might consider this matter a little more closely than looking at the politics of it. I hope that they will. I repeat what I said earlier: I have always acted with honesty in relation to this matter and I think I have acted responsibly and with integrity. But, most of all, I have done it with the best interests of both the ACT and ACTTAB in mind. I have not been, like the Liberals opposite, just acting in my own political interests. Therefore this motion must fail.
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