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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 12 Hansard (13 November) . . Page.. 4114 ..

MR MOORE (3.36): Mr Speaker, I rise to move an amendment to Mr Berry's motion, which I circulate now. The amendment reads:

Omit all words after and including "the Chief Minister", substitute, "Mr Berry to deny a meeting with Mr Carr on the issue of ACTEW".

The reason I put it up, Mr Speaker, is that I have sat here in the Assembly basically for the full sitting listening to question after question being put by the Labor Party slinging mud. Clearly, they have spent all their time and all the resources that the community provides for them on digging dirt for these questions.

Mr Berry: You lied.

MR MOORE: I grant that there have been a few exceptions to that, but for this whole sitting period we have had question after question slinging mud. The very moment it comes back to them in the slightest way, they go for this kind of stunt. The same people have a million dollar conflict of interest and still deny it. Mr Berry refuses simply to stand up and say that it did not happen. I want to know why he would need so much time - and we will give him as much time as he needs - to deny it. Just deny it and it is finished. Maybe you cannot deny it.

Mr Hird: On a point of order, Mr Speaker: During the debate, Mr Berry pointed to the Chief Minister and said, "You lied". I ask you, sir, to rule on that.

MR SPEAKER: Did you do so, Mr Berry? If so, you will withdraw it.

Mr Berry: I withdraw it.

MR WHITECROSS (3.38): Mr Speaker, I rise to support Mr Berry's motion and to oppose Mr Moore's amendment. It is very clear from Mr Moore's speech, and from the interjections we have heard from the Government, what is going on here. Two things are going on here. The first is that the Government are stinging because of the Labor Party's sustained attack on their plans to sell ACTEW, to expose the Canberra water market to competition, and their refusal to say why they have - - -

Mrs Carnell: Mr Speaker, on a point of order: Could I move that Mr Whitecross prove that? If he cannot prove it, I suggest that we move a censure motion.

MR SPEAKER: There is no point of order.

MR WHITECROSS: They are stinging because they will not give any satisfactory explanation of what they have Fay Richwhite doing. They are stinging because of the sustained attack of the Labor Party on their agenda in relation to ACTEW - to privatise ACTEW, to open the water market to competition.

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