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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1995 Week 8 Hansard (26 October) . . Page.. 2087 ..

MR WHITECROSS (continuing):

The key reason auction companies were so keen to win the tender was that there were only two auctions in Canberra which attracted a lot of publicity: taxi plates and police disposals.

So, on the one hand, we have Harold Hird saying that he has nothing to do with publicity. On the other hand, we have Keith Ritchie from Harold Hird and Associates saying that the key reason for getting this thing and the key reason why you are willing to do it for next to nothing is the publicity.

What we have is a situation where the Government is desperately saying, "This company has nothing to do with our backbencher", but we have the backbencher saying in the media "us" and "we", referring to Harold Hird and Associates.

Mr Berry: What about Mrs Carnell's input - the Chief Minister's?

MR WHITECROSS: Yes, I am coming to that. In addition, we have the matter that has already been alluded to by Ms Follett: Who owns the trading name Harold Hird and Associates? As at 30 June 1995 - and this is the latest annual report from the Chief Minister's Department - the trading name is owned by H.J. Hird. Now, 30 June 1995 is after the election of the Liberal MLA for Ginninderra; yet they seek to maintain that there is no relationship between the two, even though H.J. Hird owns the trading name.

There were two key questions on which we started this last week: Firstly, what possible benefit could there be in a company bidding for this, a paltry amount of money, to dispose of $3m worth of taxi plates, which turns out, because of Mr De Domenico's ineptitude, to be only $2.4m worth of taxi plates? We said, "How about these for a couple of benefits - that Mr Hird gets kudos out of a donation to charity". No, there is no benefit for Mr Hird in that! But Mr Hird nominated the charity; Mr Hird hosted the morning tea where it was announced to the charity. How the Government can construct that Mr Hird received no benefit from that I do not know. The second question we raised last week asked: Is there any benefit for Harold Hird in the publicity that might come from this?

Mr Humphries: Who is giving him the publicity?

Mr De Domenico: Great publicity.

MR WHITECROSS: No thanks to you. We are told by Mr Hird that there is nothing in it publicitywise. We are told by the Government that that is completely wrong. But their own general manager says, "The main reason we do it is for the publicity".

Let us look one step further at that. Harold Hird and Associates Pty Ltd are in the habit of running TV ads, in order to promote their business, no doubt, in prime times such as during the news. Whose face should appear in the course of these ads but that of the Liberal MLA for Ginninderra, Harold Hird, MLA, who has no relationship to the company.

Mrs Carnell: That ad is not still on. That ad has been taken off.

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