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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1995 Week 8 Hansard (24 October) . . Page.. 1932 ..

MR WOOD: I have a supplementary question. I would have thought that the Government would have wanted to open it as widely as possible. The Minister has just indicated that the background documentation for the qualifications of these auctioneers was the Yellow Pages. Minister, do you believe that the Yellow Pages is a suitable source of information for Government action? Do you require a departmental person to peruse the Yellow Pages? Would you not prefer to use established guidelines?

MR DE DOMENICO: I recall, for example, Mr Wood, when you were in power, when the sound system for this Assembly building was being tendered for - - -

Ms McRae: You have been asked a question. You answer the question.

MR DE DOMENICO: You just sit back in your box. You had a turn to ask your question. Wait and listen to the answer that I am giving.

Ms McRae: You know all about being quiet, Mr De Domenico! Try answering the question.

MR SPEAKER: Order! Let the Minister answer the question.

MR DE DOMENICO: I think someone forgot to give you your apple for today, Ms Teacher. Sit back, relax and listen. You might learn something.

Mr Wood: Tell us about the Yellow Pages.

MR DE DOMENICO: I will tell you about the Yellow Pages. I recall that under the previous Government, Mr Speaker, when the sound system for this Assembly was tendered for, someone picked up the Yellow Pages and picked someone at random out of the Yellow Pages, thus missing out on a local company that happened to do the wiring for the Federal Parliament House. It was not good enough to do ours.

Ms McRae: You did not know what you were talking about then and you do not know now.

MR DE DOMENICO: If you sit back and listen, and stop quirking like the chook that Mr Humphries was talking about, you will learn something as well. On previous occasions, Mr Wood, we did not even ask for seven tenders. That was under your Government, apparently. I am advised that in 1994, for example, only one or two were invited to tender, Mr Wood. This time the department made sure that we got as many local auctioneers as possible; the ones that were registered on our BASIS system that your Government implemented. All seven of those, I am advised, were invited to tender, and they did.

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