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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 14 Hansard (11 December) . . Page.. 4929 ..

MRS CARNELL: Mr Speaker, I understand that the "Meet the Minister" ads are now in line with the Electoral Act. We have run them past the Electoral Commissioner and he has approved them. There are no photographs. The Electoral Commissioner is happy with them. I think that is an appropriate approach.

MR BERRY: I have a supplementary question. Now that you have admitted that these "Meet the Minister" election ads are paid for by the Government, will you now meet the principles of your recent changes to the legislation and pay for this blatant political advertising yourself instead of forcing the ACT taxpayers to do it?

MRS CARNELL: Mr Speaker, what a joke. This mob opposite have got stuck into us for lack of community consultation. They have said we have not consulted with the community. Now they are trying to say that community consultation is blatant - - -

Mr Berry: Mr Speaker, I take a point of order. The Chief Minister seems to have confused consultation with electioneering.

MRS CARNELL: Excuse me, Mr Speaker, that is not a point order. Tell him to sit down.

Mr Berry: Mr Speaker, would she address the blatant political advertising which is being paid for by the taxpayer?

MR SPEAKER: The Chief Minister is answering the question.

MRS CARNELL: I think I am answering it very appropriately. Mr Speaker, "Meet the Minister" was one of our election commitments at the last election. We said that we would consult the community regularly in a number of ways, which we have done. In fact, one of the things that I launched this morning and will table a bit later is the consultation protocol, another part of that approach. One of those approaches, right from the last election, was that each Minister would put aside half a day or three hours every month to go out into various parts of the community and be available to speak to whoever turned up. It does not matter who they are. They get an opportunity to speak to each Minister for three hours every month. That three hours once a month is on top of all the rest of the community consultation that we do. We have a community consultation register, Mr Speaker, showing all the consultations that are currently going on, which are many hundreds. A community group - - -

Mr Berry: Mr Speaker, all that I asked the Chief Minister was whether she will pay for this in accordance with the principles of their recent changes to the Electoral Act.

MRS CARNELL: Mr Speaker, I am showing categorically that this is not electorally - - -

MR SPEAKER: All the Chief Minister is doing is answering the question.

Mr Berry: Is Mrs Carnell saying no? That will do.

MR SPEAKER: Mrs Carnell is answering the question as she sees fit.

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