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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 14 Hansard (10 December) . . Page.. 4831 ..

Mr Moore: I take a point of order, Mr Speaker. There is no doubt that Mr Berry can give a fairly broad-ranging answer - I am happy about that - but standing order 118(a) says that the answer should be concise and confined to the subject matter of the question. I am very happy for him to talk broadly about co-signing a letter to Mr Hawke, what might be in that letter and so forth; but I think he does have to stick with that concept.

MR SPEAKER: Yes, I must uphold that point of order.

MR BERRY: Indeed you do.

MR SPEAKER: Restrict it within that range. Mr Moore has asked you whether you will co-sign the letter.

MR BERRY: Of course. Inducements were the issue - - -

MR SPEAKER: I do not think he is offering you an inducement. Are you, Mr Moore?

MR BERRY: Mr Speaker, inducements were the issue which was of most concern in relation to the VITAB matter. That was the group of people - and Mr Hawke was part of the group of people - involved in the VITAB arrangements. VITAB, on my understanding and from reference to the Burbidge report, was offered $3.3m in settlement of the matter. Mr Speaker, those same inducements, of course, occurred, as I said earlier this morning, in the ACT from June 1994. Yes, that was the period of a Labor government. I made that point very clear this morning.

Mrs Carnell: But you were wrong.

MR BERRY: I am just going from the Burbidge report, Mrs Carnell. It says from June 1994. Are you saying Mr Burbidge is wrong?

Mrs Carnell: They are not the same inducements.

MR BERRY: Telephones and lollies and things like that and cups of tea. Of course, they were able to get their own little keyboards. If that is an inducement, then they received an inducement. So far as Mr Hawke is concerned, he is the master of his own destiny. If the Chief Minister decides to send him a letter, then she may do so. Whether Mr Hawke responds and pays back the money which was - - -

Mr Moore: But my question is: Will you co-sign it?

MR BERRY: Of course I will not. What a stupid suggestion - that I would be part of a scam like this. I would say to Mr Osborne: Will you pay back the $600,000 for the Burbidge report if it does not return anything to the ACT? You do not have $600,000, I know. No, I will not be signing any letter to Mr Hawke. Mr Hawke is fully aware of the circumstances here in the ACT, and if his conscience does not drive him to repay the money a signature from me would not change it.

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