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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 4 Hansard (7 May) . . Page.. 1087 ..

MR HUMPHRIES (continuing):

As with any tender, another one of the factors we considered was cost. While the price of respective tenders is obviously a matter that is commercial-in-confidence, the difference between the price of the contract that was awarded and the price of the Horodny preferred tender was well into six figures for the tower block alone. It is a six-figure difference in the price to demolish the tower block by itself, not to mention Sylvia Curley House or any of the other buildings that we are talking about in this process. Mr Speaker, I think there is a very considerable uncosted element of Ms Horodny's motion which we simply have not heard about.

Ms Horodny: Jobs, Gary, jobs!

MR HUMPHRIES: There are all sorts of ways of creating jobs, Ms Horodny. We could pay people to dig holes in the ground and then pay another lot of people to come and fill those holes in. The question is what we actually get for the money we spend. Mr Speaker, I do not have lots of money to burn at the moment - unless, of course, we pull some more money out of ACTEW.

Ms Horodny: You throw other money away for jobs.

MR HUMPHRIES: We are very frugal, Ms Horodny. If we are going to spend more money on this - a six-figure sum, apparently - where do we get the extra money? Tell me that.

Mr Kaine: Say $10 for every brick that is reprocessed.

MR HUMPHRIES: Apparently. I do not know who pays this $10, Mr Kaine; but someone has to pay for it. I will not dwell on that question of cost because there are other much more important reasons why I think we have to reject this motion today.

Debate interrupted.

ADJOURNMENT

MR SPEAKER: Order! It being 5.00 pm, I propose the question:

That the Assembly do now adjourn.

Mr Humphries: I require the question to be put forthwith without debate.

Question resolved in the negative.

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