Page 4229 - Week 14 - Tuesday, 29 November 1994
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MR DE DOMENICO (5.39): I had to get up and reply to Mr Moore's comments, because, when Mr Moore stands up in this place and condemns anybody for trying to play stunts, it gets past the farcical.
Mr Wood: Tell us about the unanimous report.
MR DE DOMENICO: Mr Wood talks about the unanimous report as if he should not be concerned about what the report said of the way that he handles his administration! If Mr Wood had read the report, he would have noted that paragraph 3.37 on page 14 said:
While noting the benefits that come from joint ventures such as these, concern was expressed at the Government's decision to provide an unconditional irrevocable undertaking for the total indebtedness (potentially up to $25m), continued or otherwise, outstanding on or after 7 October 1998 with Cygnet Corporation ... The Committee considered that public money should not unnecessarily be put at risk.
Mr Wood, for you to say that this report is unanimous and that, therefore, you should have a big smile on your face, to me, is being a bit presumptuous; because what it said to you is that you have perhaps put at risk $25m worth of this Territory's money.
Mr Wood: No; again, you are totally wrong.
MR DE DOMENICO: Mr Wood, if we are wrong, why will you not provide members of this Assembly with a copy of that contract with Cygnet Corporation, the one signed by your department? Mr Wood, when it was requested by the PDI Committee, the advice was that we could not have a copy of that contract. If you are prepared to provide a copy of that, we would be delighted to see it.
Mr Lamont: Read the Canberra Times today.
MR DE DOMENICO: I notice that Mr Lamont interjects as well. At page 15 of the report it states:
One of the matters before the Committee was the claim that the negotiation of the deal with the Vanuatu based VITAB betting agency was a 'major achievement'. The Committee notes that this agreement led to a loss of some $3.3m of public money -
and it did -
and was the subject of an independent inquiry by Professor Pearce.
For Mr Wood to say that everything is hunky-dory because it was a unanimous decision of this committee is perhaps testing the strength of our imagination.
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