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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 1 Hansard (20 February) . . Page.. 221 ..

Mr Berry: On a point of order, Mr Speaker: That is not what I was saying.

MR SPEAKER: You will have an opportunity to correct that at some later point, Mr Berry. Mr Humphries has indicated that there could be an interpretation of that.

Mr Berry: Do you want to hear the question and answer the question or just make up a question to suit yourself?

MR HUMPHRIES: I do not want to hear the question. I am perfectly well aware of the question. Do you want to hear how the rest of the community is interpreting what you are saying?

Mr Berry: I would like the answer to my question, not the one that you make up.

MR HUMPHRIES: I do not care whether you want to hear it; you are going to hear it anyway. Mr Speaker, what the Opposition are saying, with the two questions we have heard already today, is that the Government should somehow be tampering with an arm's length, independent tender process. We have had accusations only this week from Mr Whitecross about Mrs Carnell acting illegally in this place by not complying with some legislation. What do you think legislation says about politicians who intervene in tender processes, Mr Whitecross? It is against the law; they go to gaol.

Mr Speaker, we have a result from the Gungahlin Development Authority. The people who sit on that authority - - -

Mr Kaine: We know what happens when Ministers interfere in administrative things, do we not?

MR HUMPHRIES: We do indeed, Mr Kaine.

MR SPEAKER: Order! The house will come to order. Sit down, Mr Berry. Mr Humphries alone will answer the question.

Mr Berry: Mr Speaker, I would like to raise a point of order. Mr Humphries is showing contempt for questions without notice in this place. There was a question asked of him which is clearly nothing like the question that he proposes for himself to answer. The fact is that the question I asked was: What advice did the Government - - -

MR SPEAKER: There is no point of order, Mr Berry.

MR HUMPHRIES: I rise on the point of order, Mr Speaker. He is simply repeating the question, which I have heard. Mr Speaker, let me respond to the question. The fact is that the tender body, the Gungahlin Development Authority, set up under legislation which was approved, as I recall, unanimously in this place - certainly those people opposite supported it; in fact, I have a quote from one of them here which I will read in a moment - was empowered to assess the requirements for the satisfaction of the tender that they had issued by public notification.

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