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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 12 Hansard (11 November) . . Page.. 3909 ..

MR SPEAKER: I have a bit of a problem with this.

Mr Berry: If he does not want to answer it, he can simply refuse to answer it.

MR SPEAKER: Just a moment. Questions directed to a Minister are supposed to relate to part of his responsibilities.

Mr Berry: That is right. This is to the Attorney-General.

MR SPEAKER: Mr Berry, that is my problem. I am not sure whether that is covered by the Minister's portfolio responsibilities.

Mr Berry: He is the Attorney-General.

MR HUMPHRIES: You say "arrangements or conditions". I do not understand how you have a condition on him resigning from the Assembly. If you are asking whether - - -

Mr Berry: You are vacillating, Gary.

MR HUMPHRIES: No, I am not. I am saying to you that I do not have a clue what you are talking about, Mr Berry. I can have a wild stab at answering this question from Mr Berry. If Mr Berry is asking me whether I tried to impose any conditions on Mr De Domenico's resignation from the Assembly, I am not sure how I am supposed to have been able to do that. I certainly did not impose any conditions on his departure from the Assembly, as Attorney-General, as a fellow Liberal MLA or in any other capacity.

I have not had any discussions with Mr De Domenico about his departure from the Assembly, except that at approximately the time he was departing I did have some discussions with him about a member of his staff. I recall that it was at the time the Chief Minister was overseas. I had some discussions with him about a member of his staff. As I recall, he wanted to retain her employment within the ACT government service. I had some discussions with her. Just as we have done for any other members who have retired and had staff still on the payroll, I had discussions about that.

I have also had discussions with Mr De Domenico concerning his ongoing legal matter before the Discrimination Commissioner and subsequently, but they are not in any sense conditions on his departure. If Mr Berry is alluding to that, there is no sense in which Mr De Domenico has made any undertakings or promises or in which conditions were set relating to that matter in respect of his retirement from the Assembly.

MR BERRY: My supplementary question may help the Minister clarify the matter even further. Will the Deputy Chief Minister unequivocally deny that any discussions took place between him and Mr De Domenico in relation to the payment of the former Deputy Chief Minister's legal fees or any other matter that might make it attractive for Mr De Domenico to leave the Assembly?

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