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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1995 Week 8 Hansard (26 October) . . Page.. 2086 ..

Mr Connolly: MLA, sitting over there.

MR WHITECROSS: Harold Hird, MLA, who has no relationship to Harold Hird and Associates, held a morning tea with Fabric and announced that Harold Hird and Associates were donating $250 to charity. It is just a coincidence that Harold Hird and Associates invited as their local member to announce this donation someone called Harold Hird, MLA.

Mr Connolly: And how did he describe Harold Hird and Associates? As "we".

MR WHITECROSS: Let me get to that. Mr Ritchie said in the Canberra Times:

Mr Hird had designated FABRIC as the charity to receive the funds but there was "nothing sinister" about it being based in Mr Hird's electorate of Ginninderra, as the company did most of its business there. Nor was there anything unusual about the company giving away its fee.

"We're a very philanthropic organisation".

Why would Harold Hird and Associates, which has no link to Harold Hird, Liberal MLA for Ginninderra, phone up Harold Hird, Liberal MLA for Ginninderra, and ask, "Whom should we make a donation to"? He has no relationship to the company, no relationship whatsoever. On 20 October on 2CN Harold Hird said:

I could do it [i.e. auction the plates] but I think that the idea of us bidding for this is ... it would be a good opportunity for the auctioneer to get experience in that field. And I feel that I've had that experience, and I would think that the auctioneer would be ... doing it, that is their full-time auctioneer.

Mr Hird: Do not give just part of it. What was the question?

MR WHITECROSS: Mr Hird, what I am talking about is your answer, which says:

... the idea of us bidding for this is ... it would be a good opportunity for the auctioneer to get experience ...

Mr Hird said on ABC radio, "... the idea of us bidding for it was to give one of the auctioneers in Harold Hird and Associates some experience" - not a bad comment from Harold Hird, MLA, who has no relationship to Harold Hird and Associates.

There is more, Mr Speaker. On 20 October, on 2CN again, Harold Hird, MLA, said that Connolly and Whitecross were wrong to imply that there was a benefit for the auctioneer from the media exposure. He said that none of the advertisements for the auction had mentioned that Harold Hird would be the auctioneer. What does Keith Ritchie, the general manager of Harold Hird and Associates, say about publicity? He says:

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