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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 12 Hansard (13 November) . . Page.. 4099 ..

Ms McRae: Mr Speaker, with the greatest of respect: To speculate on whether a job offer comes from accepting an offer of hospitality is hypothetical.

MRS CARNELL: What have you been doing all week?

MR SPEAKER: Ms McRae, the tenor of questions in the last couple of days has been on a par with this type of questioning.

Mr Whitecross: Mr Speaker, further to the point of order: The question was related to Mrs Carnell giving job references for her deputy but not, apparently, being curious about what job he was applying for. I have not been offered a job by anyone and will not be accepting a job from anyone, except the job of Minister in the next Labor government.

MR SPEAKER: You were not asked the question. If you want to make a personal explanation later, I will be happy to accept it.

MRS CARNELL: Mr Speaker, in the tenor of the longbow approach to question time that we seem to be taking recently: Yes, I was actually at that soccer match. Mr Whitecross was talking to people that I know personally to be closely associated with Mr Knop. On that basis, there is no doubt in my mind that Mr Knop had passed a message through these people to Mr Whitecross and, therefore, there must have been a job offer.

MR SPEAKER: I call Mr Whitecross.

Members interjected.

MR WHITECROSS: I am just waiting for the burble to die down and to recover my breath after that breathtaking answer. My question is to the Chief Minister. Chief Minister, I draw your attention to an article which appeared in - - -

Mrs Littlewood: He wants a reference, Chief Minister.

MR WHITECROSS: I would not take a reference from Mrs Carnell. Mrs Littlewood, if you are well advised, you will not take a reference from Mrs Carnell either because she is not a credible witness.

MR SPEAKER: The only reference I would make is that members stop interjecting. Proceed with your question, Mr Whitecross.

MR WHITECROSS: If I were an employer I would not believe a reference from Mrs Carnell. Chief Minister, I draw your attention to an article which appeared in the Australian newspaper on 4 September this year and which stated that the Olsen Government had apparently succeeded in outbidding other States and Territories in order to get a company, Teletech - a United States customer service organisation based

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