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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 14 Hansard (10 December) . . Page.. 4796 ..

MR BERRY (continuing):

It is a bit rich for you to come in here screeching about $3.3m being paid out to VITAB by the ACTTAB board and then not to take responsibility for giving that debt to the taxpayer. Why could ACTTAB not be made to take responsibility? Mrs Carnell will get up and say that having to pay that debt threatened their existence; that they were too debt-ridden. Of course that is what they would tell you. Do you think they were misleading you? Perhaps they deceived you when they gave you that advice. Perhaps they could have handled it but just did not want to. That would be the advice they would give. It is an independent board that makes its own decisions.

Mr Speaker, this inquiry, as I said, followed on from the Pearce inquiry. I was cleared by the Pearce inquiry. I am not mentioned adversely in this inquiry, though other people are. Some of the principals of VITAB were referred to. Not all of them attended the inquiry. That is their decision. In my view, the inquiry also adversely reported on the CEO of ACTTAB and, for those reasons, he ought to be removed from his position. It is very clear that this person was involved in something that was contrary to Government policy. He would have known that his activities would have threatened and damaged the ACT's link to the large pools in Victoria. He could not plead that he did not know, given his level in the organisation and his apparent understanding of the issues.

Mr Speaker, as I have said, I apologise for all the things that went wrong with VITAB. I will not take responsibility for those who deceived me or other officers in the Government or in its statutory authorities.

Mrs Carnell: Do you mean George Wason?

MR BERRY: I heard Mrs Carnell on the radio today say, "Berry appointed a couple of his union mates to the board". Let us get the facts clear. The board was inherited from the corporatised ACTTAB, corporatised by Trevor Kaine. The board was appointed by that Government. Mr Humphries might remember this. Perhaps he could have told Mrs Carnell of his memories before she made the statement. The board was appointed by the Liberal-led Alliance Government. One person was appointed to that board.

Mrs Carnell: Who was that?

MR BERRY: I have no difficulty in saying who it was. It was George Wason. Mr Wason was appointed because of his involvement with the licensed clubs industry and because - - -

Mrs Carnell: And he was the one who gave you the crummy advice.

Ms McRae: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. You have called for silence. Why do you not follow through on your order? We could barely hear Mr Berry's interjection the other day when you threw him out.

MR SPEAKER: I would be surprised if that was so in your case, Ms McRae; but I do call for order.

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