Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .

Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 3 Hansard (28 March) . . Page.. 753 ..

MR WHITECROSS: She made the signing of a contract with the VMOs one of the defining symbols - - -

Mr De Domenico: That is why you are on the backbench.

MR SPEAKER: Order!

MR WHITECROSS: Mr Speaker, it seems clear from the beginning that the Government is sufficiently nervous about this motion to interrupt. Perhaps they would prefer to listen.

Mr Speaker, Mrs Carnell made the signing of a contract with the VMOs a defining symbol of the difference between her Government's approach and that of the previous Labor Government. Just to recap, Mr Speaker, the previous Labor Government went through a process of negotiation with the VMOs and then a process of arbitration, which was heading towards an agreement which was going to save the community $11/2m. It was, in fact, the oncoming election that stalled those discussions. I have no doubt that, if Labor had been returned, we would have got an agreement. But the promise from Mrs Carnell of a better deal kept the VMOs holding out in the hope of something more. And, sure enough, Mr Speaker, when Mrs Carnell did come into government she gave them that better deal. But she sold this generosity to the VMOs - the highest paid VMOs in Australia - by saying that this deal was going to save the community $2.6m; that this deal was going to be better for the people of Canberra.

Mr Speaker, at the time, the Labor Party was extremely sceptical about this. At the time, the Labor Party was extremely doubtful about the merits of Mrs Carnell's claims - and we were all the more sceptical because of the secrecy with which she approached the whole business; we were all the more sceptical because Mr Connolly was unable to extract from her any concrete information about exactly what the deal was that she offered. Again and again, Mr Connolly asked for and was unable to get information out of Mrs Carnell. Mrs Carnell tries to rewrite history, but the Hansard record stands as testimony to Mrs Carnell's secrecy during that period.

Mr De Domenico: That is not true. Who told you that? George Wason must have told you that, I think. He has told you what to say.

MR WHITECROSS: Mr Speaker, Mr De Domenico once again realises that I have made a telling point and seeks to interrupt.

Mr De Domenico: You have just smacked her wrist with a moist tram ticket.

MR SPEAKER: Order!

MR WHITECROSS: Mr Speaker, what we have found now is that those suspicions that we had were completely justified. The Auditor-General has come out with a report that completely refutes Mrs Carnell's claim that this was going to save the community money. It completely refutes Mrs Carnell's claim that this was a good deal for the Territory.

Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .