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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 12 Hansard (21 November) . . Page.. 4066 ..

MR BERRY: This is about the chief executive officer of your department - - -

Mrs Carnell: Having a four-cylinder car. Sit down, Wayne, and stop being such a dope.

MR BERRY: The chief executive officer of your department changed his very high-standard car early for a car which cost $7,000 more, and the car that he should have been using was given to an officer for whom it was above standard and it was used by that officer, which of course was above standard. Approval for the car for the commissioner for public administration was given by a subordinate after Mr Walker was using the car. The fact of the matter is that, because the four-wheel-drive was the preference of the chief executive officer, his very expensive Holden Calais was handed over to another officer who was not entitled to a car of that standard, and then a $7,000 more expensive fully imported car was purchased for Mr Walker. The car which he got rid of had done 13,000 kilometres and was replaced 26,000 kilometres and one year early under the rules then prevailing. The fully imported car cost $7,000 more.

Mr De Domenico: It is a Subaru station wagon.

MR BERRY: It is a Subaru top-of-the-line luxury station wagon with - - -

Mr De Domenico: It is not top of the line; it is a Subaru station wagon.

MR BERRY: It is a Subaru Liberty four-wheel-drive station wagon - top of the line, the most luxurious one you can buy.

Mrs Carnell: All Subarus are four-wheel-drives.

MR BERRY: No, they are not.

Mrs Carnell: Most of them are, are they not?

MR BERRY: No. Mrs Carnell, your chief executive officer decided he wanted a more expensive car and went and got one. It cost the ACT taxpayer $7,000.

Mrs Carnell: It is a four-cylinder vehicle.

MR BERRY: And it cost $7,000.

Mr Moore: It is not as big as the four-wheel-drive you have had, is it? It is not as big as mine.

MR BERRY: It could have been a four-cylinder Mercedes, too, so $7,000 is all right! One thing that I will say was admirable about this budget was the absence of any attempt to set up one of those loopy treat yourself, grow marijuana down the backyard programs that you and Mr Moore cooked up once before. It did not happen this time. I am sure that these loopy programs will not turn up again. I hope you have learnt your lesson. You will not be having these self-treatment, grow it down the backyard marijuana programs in your budgets anymore. I can see that you have learnt your lesson.

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