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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 2 Hansard (26 February) . . Page.. 471 ..

MS REILLY: In relation to contracts, at page 26 of "Contracting Pool and Leisure Centres", Report No. 1 of the Auditor-General, he says:

The Australian Capital Territory Purchasing Manual (7.8.2) states that "work under a contract should not normally commence before a signed acknowledgment is received. This acknowledgment completes the contract".

Mr Kaine: On a point of order, Mr Speaker: For a non-preamble, this is a long preamble.

Ms McRae: It is not a preamble.

MR SPEAKER: This is a question. I explained. Ask the question.

Ms McRae: It is a question.

MS REILLY: How does the Minister explain this?

Ms McRae: Have you got the question?

MR STEFANIAK: I do not want to give you a legal lesson, Ms Reilly. I have indicated that a contract is an agreement. I have indicated that we have a legal and binding arrangement, and that is according to the Government Solicitor. The Auditor-General is referring to contracts. I referred to a single contract document that is being prepared.

Ms McRae: That was not the question.

Mrs Carnell: Mr Speaker, on a point of order: Ms McRae has interjected throughout the whole of question time. I think it is about time you pulled her up.

MR SPEAKER: If she does not want her colleagues to hear the answer, I suppose that is their problem; but I would call you to order, Ms McRae, and ask you not to interject.

MR STEFANIAK: Ms McRae, I think you need to differentiate between the single contract document that is being prepared by Contracts and Purchasing and the one that the Auditor-General is referring to. It would have been lovely if that had been available. However, that does not mean that we do not have a contract in place. Legal advice indicates that we do. That refers, I think you will find on pages 25 and 26, to that single contract document being prepared by ACT Contracts and Purchasing.

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