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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 2 Hansard (27 February) . . Page.. 555 ..

Mr Whitecross: But America is okay?

MRS CARNELL: ADC is an American company, Mr Whitecross. I think it would be a bit hard to ask an American company not to do business in America. To overcome Mr Berry's inevitable supplementary question, I point out that that particular newspaper article, as I remember it, indicated that a small number of employees at AOFR had been terminated in recent days. The company assures me that this was due to a cyclical decline in business activity, particularly in the overseas markets of Europe and the USA. ADC and AOFR are addressing this temporary downturn by launching a new product very soon. It might have even been launched this week - I am not sure exactly. They believe this will earn substantial new export revenue and achieve a strengthened market for them. AOFR is hoping to be able to reach the employment targets that were part of the agreement. The agreement indicates that AOFR must use their best endeavours to achieve the employment targets that we set in that agreement, and I have every confidence that they will do so.

MR BERRY: Mr Speaker, I have a supplementary question. Will the Chief Minister provide to members of this Assembly a copy of the report that she received from AOFR?

Mrs Carnell: What report, Mr Berry?

MR BERRY: Had you been listening to the question, you would have known that I mentioned that it had been reported that AOFR had been asked for a report on its current operations. I am asking you, Chief Minister: Will you agree to provide a copy of this report to the Assembly? Are you concerned that three machines which produce couplers have been sent back to the United States to assist in their marketing of these products overseas? Will you agree that your memory lapse about reading an article on 24 February was a John Howard memory lapse, because it was only three days ago?

MR SPEAKER: The last part of that question is out of order.

MRS CARNELL: I did not say I had forgotten. In fact, I just indicated that I thought that that particular article mentioned something about some employees being terminated. Under the agreement with ADC and AOFR, they are required, as I understand it, to report on a six-monthly basis. They have been asked for a report. I will certainly have a look at that report and see what can be released to the Assembly. I am not sure that we have actually received a report at this stage.

On the second part of the question, I think that it is very important for those in this Assembly to remember that today we have had an Auditor-General's report that says categorically that we have to expand our business base in the ACT. We have to get new companies to town. We have to increase our export potential. With all of that in place, how can those opposite whinge about a new company?

Mr Berry: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I draw your attention again to the answer not being confined to the subject matter. I asked the Chief Minister whether she was concerned about the export of machines and whether she would produce a copy of the report to members. Is she concerned about those machines going back to the US?

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