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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 14 Hansard (10 December) . . Page.. 4794 ..

MR BERRY (continuing):

It is interesting that it emerges again that the major cause of the concern about the VITAB arrangement was inducements. To my recollection of events, there is no proof of them being paid to Australian punters in the period when Labor was in office. There were lots of rumours. If they were paid and the proof can be laid on the table, I will accept that they were paid. This report says unequivocally that they were paid in the ACT with the full knowledge of ACTTAB. Would you not think that there would be some concern about that in the debate on this issue? I can see why the Chief Minister does not want to talk about it. It is a return to the VITAB days when they were making the accusations about inducements, and now they have suffered as a consequence of their own accusations. This very occurrence was occurring in the ACT. Sure, it was on a smaller scale; there is no doubt about that. But it occurs here in the Australian Capital Territory.

Considering the 1994 experience, it is incomprehensible that the CEO of ACTTAB and its board would place ACTTAB in such a situation. It is also incomprehensible that the Chief Minister did not monitor the situation more closely, given the circumstances of the past. Who will forget the cacophony that came from these people about this issue when they were in opposition? I will not. The point at issue must have dimmed in their memories when they got to having to manage the TAB themselves. Paragraph 381 states:

Mr Alexander stated in evidence that he made Mr Smeed, CEO ... from June 1994, aware of the arrangements the Club had made with the two punters. Mr Smeed's evidence is to like effect, though differing in detail.

From 1994 he was aware of the arrangements.

Mrs Carnell: We were not actually in power then, Mr Berry.

MR BERRY: That is fine. But you are the one - - -

Mrs Carnell: Oops!

MR BERRY: No, no oops at all about it; no evidence at all. The paragraph I read states:

Mr Alexander was the Chief Executive Officer of the Club from 31 May 1995. Mr Alexander stated in evidence that he made Mr Smeed, CEO of ACTTAB from June 1994, aware of the arrangements the Club had made with the two punters.

If it was happening in 1994, we accept that; but you are the people who squealed about it so much and you are the people, this Chief Minister in particular, who never paid particular attention to the matter. I say to you that Smeed should go. You should be issuing instructions to the board along those lines and you should also be examining the board to make sure that you are satisfied that the board or some of its members should not meet the same fate. How can a board which has been involved in such a large settlement over such an issue not pay due regard to this issue? Can you believe it? I cannot. Mr Speaker, that is one of the most important issues that have arisen out of the Burbidge report.

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