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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1998 Week 1 Hansard (29 April) . . Page.. 176 ..

MR CORBELL: Mr Speaker, can I make a personal explanation under standing order 47?

MR SPEAKER: Under standing order 46 probably, because there is no question before the Chair, Mr Corbell.

MR CORBELL: At your direction, Mr Speaker, under standing order 46 - - -

MR SPEAKER: I presume that it is a personal explanation.

MR CORBELL: Yes, it is, Mr Speaker. Mr Speaker, during the debate on the MPI earlier, Mr Humphries made the suggestion that the Labor Party's position was to do nothing. Mr Humphries obviously did not listen to my speech. At no time did I propose that that was the party's position. I indicated quite clearly that the party had a series of criteria that would be used to test the issue of public ownership and retention of public ownership. But it is quite incorrect for Mr Humphries to suggest that the Labor Party's position is "no change; do nothing". It is blatantly untrue, and I wish to correct the record.

MR SPEAKER: You have two minutes and 33 seconds, Mr Hird.

MR HIRD (4.44): Mr Speaker, I wish to draw the attention of the house to a statement that Mr Corbell just - - -

MR SPEAKER: Just a moment. We have not finished discussion of the MPI yet.

MR HIRD: I am interested in the fact that Mr Corbell, at the outset, made great play of the fact that the Labor Party had criteria set out for the sale of TOCs. He indicated that those criteria would be used at the appropriate time. I intend to ask at the conclusion of this MPI discussion, under standing order 213, for him to table that document. That is my intention.

However, let us look at this MPI. This side of the house is very concerned about ensuring that an asset that belongs to the people of this Territory is managed best, either in the private sector or in the public sector. Indeed, part of Mr Corbell's MPI says:

... Corporations are valuable assets owned by the people of the ACT and provide the community with significant social benefits through employment, revenue and effective, efficient services.

The TOC legislation itself was set up in 1990 by the then Labor Government.

Mr Corbell: By the Alliance Government, actually.

MR HIRD: I stand corrected, but I understood that it was undertaken and set up by the Labor Government. However, if we look at what Labor governments have done, we find that the Federal Labor Government deregulated the electricity industry. That was done by the Keating Government. Talking about selling TOCs and privatisation, the same

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