Page 638 - Week 03 - Tuesday, 12 April 1994
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Mr Berry: They have a unicameral parliament and a majority.
MR CORNWELL: It must be getting very late, because I do not know what you are talking about. A unicameral house? Mr Berry, where was the competition with other States for this VITAB deal? There was not any. How, then, can you justify your statement this afternoon:
... I believe I had a reasonable basis for saying that ACTTAB was in competition for the VITAB agreement and that I have not misled the Assembly on this aspect of the matter.
I turn now to the question of inducements. We find that on 23 November Mr Berry said:
There is a written undertaking as part of the contract stating that VITAB will not offer inducements. That is part of the contract, according to my advice.
That was the day he came back in the evening and corrected his statement and said:
... I am advised that in fact the agreement is silent on the issue of inducements ... Members should appreciate that the offering of inducements to investors is purely a commercial decision and TABs, like any other business, are not legally precluded from using such methods to attract business.
Again, on 18 December 1993 he stated:
Inducements are a problem ...
... the potential for the payment of inducements to Australian punters through offshore arrangements was recognised ...
However, on 1 March, in response to a question from Mrs Carnell, Mr Berry is recorded on page 295 of Hansard as saying:
As far as Mrs Carnell's question is concerned, it is obviously aimed at the issue of inducements, and I have told this chamber, I do not know how many times, that the issue of inducements is a clear one; that is, that VITAB have given us a written undertaking that they will not offer inducements to Australians.
On 23 November and 8 December 1993 you acknowledged the problems associated with inducements, and on 1 March 1994 you said:
... the issue of inducements is a clear one ...
VITAB have given us a written undertaking that they will not offer inducements ...
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