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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 14 Hansard (10 December) . . Page.. 4791 ..

MR BERRY (continuing):

Dear Minister,

I refer to discussions which took place earlier this year at the Racing Ministers Conference held in Adelaide and to subsequent correspondence regarding the payment of inducements -

that word keeps coming up -

to certain Totalisator investors.

I am concerned that recent developments, particularly in relation to offshore activities have the potential to cause long term damage to Government revenue and to the viability of the Racing Industry.

He goes on to say:

... I have requested that my Department make arrangements to convene a meeting at the earliest opportunity ...

Again, it was about inducements. I knew what effect inducements can have on Australian TABs and was given written assurances from VITAB that VITAB would not offer inducements. If the rumours were true, then again I was deceived. Many of the people advising me are long gone. I think Canberrans would be amazed that any other government would allow inducements to be offered in the ACT and once again we would risk ACTTAB's link to the Victorian superpool, but it happened.

This is the interesting irony between events of some time ago and more recent events, contemporary events. Some time ago inducements were the big issue that politicians opposite me now were most concerned about. They were saying that inducements were the real issue and, in the event, did result in the link to the Victorian superpool being severed. But after the TAB board had negotiated a $3.3m settlement, again about the issues of inducements, would you believe that it could occur again in the ACT? Would you believe that that could possibly occur and that people who are supposed to be fully understanding of the totalisator betting industry, the same people who negotiated the $3.3m settlement, were in a position where it happened again? Inducements were offered by the ACT Racing Club and, according to the report, to the knowledge of the chief executive officer - - -

Mrs Carnell: Of the Racing Club?

MR BERRY: The Racing Club and the ACTTAB chief executive officer. They entered into one of these arrangements again. This is the same organisation which had suffered so much pain as a result of a settlement paid to VITAB to sever itself from an arrangement which could lead to inducements. Could you believe that? It happened.

Mrs Carnell claimed no knowledge of it. Perhaps she was deceived. Perhaps the people she asked deceived her, or perhaps she knew and decided to cover it up. Will we ever know? We know that a consultant was engaged to examine the matter and that, subsequent to that inquiry by the consultant, Mrs Carnell wrote to racing clubs and said,

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