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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 12 Hansard (13 November) . . Page.. 4159 ..

Mr Humphries: Do not ask for too much.

MRS CARNELL: No, just for two weeks. "I will not say things that are absolutely at odds with things that I have said before".

Ms McRae: You are rattled and fussed. You cannot cope.

MRS CARNELL: I agree, Ms McRae, that it is not a big show. But would it not be lovely?

Mr Speaker, I would like to finish by quoting from the Canberra Times what Dr Colin Andrews said with regard to this project. I think Mr Berry said before that the AMA did not like it. Dr Andrews said:

The overall impact will be some of the existing private hospitals might have to scale back and maybe even close beds or wards. The impact may be that they have to lift their game and offer more services ... and the third impact will be there will be a lot more private beds for doctors to practise in ... particularly in high-tech areas.

I do not care if they have to lift their game.

MR SPEAKER: The member's time has expired.

MR BERRY (Leader of the Opposition) (6.28), in reply: Mr Speaker, the first issue I want to deal with in closing the debate is commercial-in-confidence. Nobody in any previous government has snuck off before a proposal for a committee was put to this Assembly and signed off a contract to prevent a matter from being properly inquired into. That was a sneaky and dishonest act. That is where the issue of commercial-in-confidence gets a new significance in the ACT. This committee was hampered in its inquiry because the Chief Minister deliberately and dishonestly signed off a contract to stop the committee getting access to it.

Mr Humphries: Mr Speaker, on a point of order: I heard Mr Berry make comments about the Chief Minister being dishonest. I think that is clearly outside standing orders and I would ask that he withdraw it.

MR SPEAKER: Withdraw the word "dishonest".

MR BERRY: I withdraw. She sneakily signed off the contract to prevent the committee from conducting a full inquiry.

Mr Humphries: Mr Speaker, on a point of order: I did ask Mr Berry to withdraw.

Mr Corbell: He did.

Mr Humphries: No, he did not. He just said "sneakily". He did not say, "I withdraw" - not that I could hear.

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