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

Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 2 Hansard (27 February) . . Page.. 554 ..

MRS CARNELL: Mr Speaker, it is very hard to remember articles in the Canberra Times on 24 February. The ADC-AOFR deal or arrangement with the ACT Government, as everybody here would be aware, has already resulted in a new building on the site at Symonston which obviously has produced significant extra jobs. On 30 November last year an agreement was signed with AOFR for an assistance package. That agreement will ensure that any major expansion of the firm takes place in the Territory rather than anywhere else. Members will be aware that AOFR and their parent company, ADC, were being offered quite significant enticements to go to Queensland.

You would also be aware that AOFR had been involved in the development of some very clever fibre-optic splitter technology that was unique and that AOFR had entered into a contractual arrangement for Optus which would require providing those splitters as Optus rolled out their cables in Australia. There are significant offshore opportunities for ADC-AOFR as time goes on. The arrangement - - -

Mr Berry: Mr Speaker, it sounds as though - - -

MR SPEAKER: Did you just stand up to make a statement or do you have a point of order, Mr Berry?

Mr Berry: I am just getting back to the issue of having the Chief Minister answer the question. It sounds as though - - -

Mr Hird: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I draw your attention to standing order 39 and standing order 202(e). Mr Berry continually disrupts this place by standing up and interjecting on people speaking.

MR SPEAKER: I have to uphold the point of order, because I really do not know why you have stood up, Mr Berry. You have not indicated to me why you are doing it.

Mr Berry: Mr Speaker, just to assist you, standing order 118 states that the answer to a question "shall be concise and confined to the subject matter of the question". May I remind the Chief Minister of the subject matter of the question. The question was: What provisions were made in the assistance agreement to prevent AOFR's parent, ADC Telecommunications Inc., from setting up rival manufacturing operations elsewhere?

MR SPEAKER: There is no point of order. As I understood it, the Chief Minister was in the throes of answering the question.

MRS CARNELL: I think the first line of my answer said that on 30 November last year we signed an agreement with AOFR for an assistance package and that that agreement would ensure that any major expansion of the firm took place in the Territory rather than elsewhere in Australia.

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