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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 14 Hansard (10 December) . . Page.. 4821 ..

MRS CARNELL (continuing):

I was interested in the quote from the Queensland TAB boss that the Pearce inquiry recorded no evidence of criticism against the directors of APT who were involved in the ACTTAB-VITAB agreement or arrangement. I wonder what kind of probity checks were undertaken and whether the company searches that were done came up against all of the same brick walls that we found when we tried to get to the bottom of the VITAB corporate structure.

Mr Speaker, in answer to Mr Osborne's question, yesterday I signed letters to each of Australia's Racing Ministers attaching a copy of the Burbidge report and highlighting the key findings. I am sure that the current Queensland Government and its Racing Minister, Russell Cooper, will be interested to read the document. I am advised that the arrangement with the company known as Asia Pacific Totalisators is still in operation in Queensland, as Mr Osborne said. I can obviously make no comment on the arrangements that may have been made over the latest deal involving a Vanuatu-based connection, but I sincerely hope that further investigations are now about to be undertaken. Members will be aware that Mr McMahon was the subject of an adverse finding in the Burbidge report, so I am sure that that issue, at the very least, will be a cause for consternation in Queensland.

I have to wonder, though, Mr Speaker, why two Labor governments ended up with deals with two business consortiums of the same kind, or a single consortium, as it may have been. Could Mr Hawke's involvement have anything to do with it? After all, I remember Mr Berry giving some evidence to the Pearce inquiry which might shed some light on the matter. Let me quote Mr Berry's statement to the Pearce inquiry:

Mr Hawke's involvement and the enthusiasm of the ACT board suggested the proposal was entirely respectable and of some potential advantage to the Territory.

Mr Speaker, I think that statement speaks for itself. Don't you?

MR OSBORNE: I ask a supplementary question. Thank you for that, Mrs Carnell. Mrs Carnell, further to that, I am aware that in the Burbidge report the former Prime Minister, Mr Bob Hawke, was cleared by Mr Burbidge. However, what is clear is that Mr Hawke pocketed between $300,000 and $400,000 as a result of a deception organised by other people. Will you also write to Mr Hawke, send him a copy of the Burbidge report and explain to him that it appears that he received money as a result of a fraud committed upon the ACT taxpayer, and will you ask him to repay the money? I believe, Chief Minister, that Mr Hawke has a moral obligation to do so.

MRS CARNELL: Thank you very much, Mr Osborne. Mr Osborne, I think that is an extremely appropriate approach. I will be writing to Mr Hawke. Mr Hawke, as a previous Labor Prime Minister of this country, I am confident, would be aware that ripping off the taxpayer was not a sensible approach or not an acceptable approach morally. Mr Hawke would appear, at least from this deal, to have got something like $360,000 from ACT taxpayers. I am confident that when Mr Hawke becomes aware that that was as a result of fraud, deception, maladministration and incompetency - particularly the first two - he will be very happy to pay back the $360,000 to ACT taxpayers.

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