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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1998 Week 1 Hansard (28 April) . . Page.. 69 ..

Mr Humphries: Mr Speaker, on the point of order: Mr Berry's question was clearly about the processes to be used in assessing the future of those organisations. The Chief Minister's answer touches on the processes to be used. He has asked about a specific aspect of that. The Chief Minister is entitled to describe the process in order to answer the question. The question is being answered entirely appropriately.

MR SPEAKER: I repeat my earlier comments. I am not in a position to direct any person answering a question to answer it in the way that the person asking the question might care them to.

MS CARNELL: Mr Speaker, maybe it would be clearer if I said to Mr Berry in very easy, one-syllable words, "We have not done any assessments for sale". What I was trying to explain, because I know that it is very hard for him to understand, was where we are up to in this process at the moment. With ACTTAB, we are doing a detailed review of the future structure and operations of ACTTAB to assess what we need to do to make sure that ACTTAB has a future. By the way, with ACTTAB that includes, as one of the options, potential sale. With regard to ACTEW, Mr Speaker, we are in a situation now of not even going to a scoping study yet. We have Fay Richwhite looking at what the future options are or where ACTEW is heading in the current market. Mr Speaker, that is not a scoping study for sale. Mr Berry does not understand that; but it is not. That does not mean - - -

Mr Berry: No. On a point of order, Mr Speaker - - -

MR SPEAKER: Order! Mr Berry, the Chief Minister is answering the question.

Mr Berry: No; she is berating me, Mr Speaker. And what I would ask you to do is direct her - - -

MR SPEAKER: I will be berating you shortly, too, actually.

MS CARNELL: Mr Speaker, I have answered the question.

MR BERRY: I have a supplementary question, Mr Speaker. Noting that the Chief Minister has not answered the question, I ask: Will she make available to this Assembly any evaluations which were conducted in relation to those dollars potentially lost from the economy, before taking any final decisions on whether or not to sell public assets? If there is no such evaluation being undertaken at this point, will she direct that it be undertaken?

MS CARNELL: Mr Speaker, he still did not understand. You cannot have that information if you actually have not gone to scope for sale. How often do I have to explain that?

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