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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 14 Hansard (10 December) . . Page.. 4832 ..

MR MOORE: I have a supplementary question, Mr Speaker. I am sure that Mr Berry would be delighted to take it. It is just a bit of practice for him for next year. I see that you have not lost the touch, Mr Berry. In your answer and also in an earlier interjection you said that Mr Osborne ought to pay back the $600,000 expenditure incurred through this inquiry. Do you understand, Mr Berry, the difference between expenditure of $600,000 which did not wind up in Paul Osborne's pocket or expenditure of $5.5m at a cost to the ACT taxpayer that did not wind up in your pocket and approximately $300,000 of ACT taxpayers' money which did wind up in the pocket of the former Prime Minister?

MR BERRY: Yes, of course I can see the difference. I can see that the chairman of the board of ACTTAB was the one who made the offer of $3.3m in settlement of the issue, as reported in the Burbidge report. It is very clear that the VITAB people did not have the money before the chairman of the board decided that they should have it and - - -

Mr Hird: You are defending VITAB now, are you?

MR BERRY: No, indeed not. I am not defending Mr Hawke either. Mr Hawke is the master of his own destiny. I am sure that he is aware of what is going on in relation to the matter here in the ACT. If Mr Hawke's conscience drives him to pay the $300,000, or whatever it was, back to the ACT, then that would be welcome; but I am not sure that adding my signature would offer him any more encouragement. In fact, it may well work against any chance of him changing his mind. I think that would probably be a negative.

I would suggest to the Chief Minister that she not bother writing to Bob Hawke either. That also might work against any chance of a return of the money to the ACT. I also suggest to you too, Mr Osborne, that you not bother trying to sign a letter, because I do not think that would work to our advantage either. I think you should leave it to Mr Hawke. If he is of a mind to repay the money, then he should do so. I understand the difference between the money that was - - -

Mr Moore: You will not prick his conscience or embarrass him into it?

MR BERRY: Mr Moore says, "Do you want to prick his conscience or do you want to embarrass him into it?". I would be quite happy if all of the people involved in the VITAB deal gave back the money. I cannot see the likelihood of that occurring just because Wayne Berry signs a letter. I think an even worse situation would be created if Mrs Carnell signed a letter. I think what you have asked, Mr Moore, is a rather dumb question. It proposes a silly attention-grabbing stunt. It is a quite silly proposal. I advise the Chief Minister, for what it is worth: Please do not write the letter. Leave it to their conscience. If you write to them, you will just make it worse.

Mr Whitecross: I rise on a point of order, Mr Speaker, to draw the attention of the house to the fulsome way Mr Berry answered the question asked by Mr Moore, compared with the non-answers we got from the Government.

MR SPEAKER: There is no point of order, and if you continue to clown around you may find yourself being named.

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