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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 12 Hansard (11 November) . . Page.. 3946 ..

MR BERRY (continuing):

Mr Temporary Deputy Speaker, the Liberals opposite have us paying $85m in rent for buildings that we already own. All they wanted to do was cash themselves up by selling the people's property and then leasing it back. The ACT Government is paying $85m in rent for buildings that it owned - $49m for the Magistrates Court building and $36m for the Dame Pattie Menzies Building in Dickson. We used to own the vehicles we drove, as well; now we lease them. We used to own the buildings our employees work in; now we pay rent for them. This is disguised borrowing, and there is no way of getting out of it. This is a government just cashing itself up and disguising its borrowings. If a bloke on the street told you that he was selling his house so he could rent it back, you would say, "You are crazy. You are mad".

Mr Humphries: That is the depth of Berry economics, is it?

MR BERRY: Why are you buying your house, Mr Humphries? Why do you not sell it and rent it back? Sell it and rent it back.

Mr Hird: On a point of order, Mr Temporary Deputy Speaker: I draw your attention to standing order 42. I would ask Mr Berry to oblige the house by standing by standing order 42.

MR TEMPORARY DEPUTY SPEAKER: There is no point of order.

Mr Hird: With a great deal of respect, I have to say that every member speaking in this place has to address you, sir, and not the Opposition or the Government.

MR TEMPORARY DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order!

Mr Humphries: That is true, Mr Temporary Deputy Speaker. That is what it says.

Mr Hird: That is true, and I raise that as a point of order, sir.

MR TEMPORARY DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! I understand the forms of this house, Mr Hird, and they are being followed.

Mr Hird: Under standing order 42, sir, order him to speak to the Temporary Deputy Speaker.

MR TEMPORARY DEPUTY SPEAKER: I refer you to the standing order which deals with persistent interjections.

MR BERRY: The Bruce Stadium redevelopment is likely to cost the taxpayer up to $15m extra. It looks as if the Chief Minister is crawling back into her hole on the Bruce Stadium. She has retreated to the claim that this project will cost us only $12m. The way I figure it, if you look at the costs of the stadium, the costs of the development of Football Park over in Phillip, the costs of accommodation for the soccer teams that might come here for the Olympics, and the underwriting of tickets, you are getting close to $50m. That is a lot of money, and I do not think the community really would accept that cost. They would question it, at least.

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