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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 10 Hansard (3 September) . . Page.. 2944 ..

MR DE DOMENICO: The Government has decided that a number of business units involving 600 employees are to transfer from DUS to Totalcare. We will also look at any other unit within DUS that needs to be put into competition as well, Ms Follett; but, unlike your Government, we will do it within the consultative process.

Mr Whitecross: You cannot answer the question, can you, Tony?

MR DE DOMENICO: Yes, I can answer the question, Mr Whitecross. As I said, you might not like the answer you will get, but you will get the answer that is the truth and you will get the answer that is the commonsense answer.

We have a commitment to the community to make sure that every dollar of taxpayers' money is spent wisely. What the Government has decided to do with DUS Commercial Services is to do the wise, commonsense thing - transfer it across to Totalcare. Totalcare has increased the number of its jobs by 52 since it was corporatised by the Kaine Government, not by this other lot over here. I say once again that all the workers are pretty happy with what the Government is doing. If we think that CityScape should go across to the same area, we will do that as well.

MS FOLLETT: Mr Speaker, given that that was a total non-answer, I will hazard a supplementary question. Minister, who will be responsible for the payment of any redundancies if there is a loss of business following the untying of government clients at the end of 1997? Do you concede that the timing of the untying of the government clients will mean that the notification of any redundancies will occur, very conveniently, after the 1998 election?

MR SPEAKER: Mr De Domenico, some of that supplementary question was obviously hypothetical. I just ask you to keep that in mind.

MR DE DOMENICO: Members opposite need to be told, once and for all, that this Government had two choices. One was to do what the other Government would have done - nothing. Had the Government - - -

Ms Follett: Mr Speaker - - -

MR DE DOMENICO: You asked your supplementary question. With respect, sit down and listen to the answer. You might not like what you get but you are going to get an answer.

Ms Follett: I have a point of order, Mr Speaker. The question I asked was: Who will pay for the redundancies? It is very specific. I call on the Minister to give a specific response.

MR SPEAKER: The Minister is answering the question as he sees fit.

MR DE DOMENICO: I will answer the question in the way which, with respect, I feel it is fitting to answer the question, as long as it is topical and to the point.

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