Page 645 - Week 03 - Tuesday, 12 April 1994
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The important issue is that officers of ACTTAB - and I think this is a very important issue - had a clear understanding from VicTAB that there was still an opportunity to negotiate the terms and conditions under which ACTTAB might retain its linkage with the Victorian superpool. We still have time to run with the link, and I think it is fair to say that the possibility is not entirely extinguished. I think the possibility is not entirely extinguished, not until it is over. That is my view about these matters. As I said, I took up the issue personally with the Victorian Minister and again, despite his concerns about the VITAB agreement, he did not rule out the possibility of further discussions at the time.
I believed that it was also important that the legal issues were fully explored and that options for an alternative link with another State TAB were not prejudiced by an early announcement of Victoria's decision to sever the link. You have to bear in mind that if you are in a vulnerable position you have to negotiate with people. You are not going to put yourself in a vulnerable position in terms of those negotiations by announcing that you are starving and you will take anything.
Mr Humphries: But they knew that, did they not? They knew it already.
MR BERRY: This is prior to the event. You have to be careful about these things, in my view. It was something that I was concerned about. I have to say that I know that if it had been released for the fun of it here in the ACT - noting the absence of loyalty to the ACTTAB - there would have been a lot more mud-slinging about the issue and more instability created. From my point of view, I think I have acted responsibly in relation to that matter, and there is no way that it can be said that I misled the Assembly in relation to it.
Mr Humphries: You did not tell us about it. That is misleading us. You kept it from us. You covered up.
MADAM SPEAKER: Order!
MR BERRY: This is a nonsense situation. If there is something that we know and we think that you do not know, you are able to form the conclusion that we have misled you by not telling you. That is a nonsense. It is a nonsense for you to say that because we knew and you did not you are misled. That is a nonsense and that is the simplistic approach that you have taken on the matter. Mrs Carnell raises the issue of questions. She did not ask the question about VicTAB in March.
Mr Humphries: We did not know in March. That is why.
MR BERRY: I cannot help that.
Mrs Carnell: I asked in December.
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