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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1998 Week 2 Hansard (20 May) . . Page.. 431 ..

MS CARNELL (continuing):

a second lot of consultants, or consultancy advice, for exactly the same reference at the same time. Of course, any extra expense along these lines would have to come out of either the Assembly budget or the Treasurer's Advance.

Motion (by Mr Berry) agreed to:

That the question be divided.

MR SPEAKER: Thank you, Mr Berry; I think that is very sensible. The question now is: That Mrs Carnell's amendment No. 1 be agreed to.

Amendment negatived.

MR SPEAKER: The question now is: That Mrs Carnell's amendment No. 2 be agreed to.

Amendment agreed to.

MR MOORE (Minister for Health and Community Care) (4.55): I seek leave to move the amendment circulated in my name.

Leave granted.

MR MOORE: I move:

After paragraph (2) add the following paragraph:

"(3) the Labor Party associated clubs withdraw all applications for poker machines that are currently before government, that is Canberra Labor Club, Canberra Workers Club and Ginninderra Labor Club.".

It seemed to me, since the Labor Party are keen to be involved in this motion, that it would be appropriate to call on - and it is only to call on, because that is the effect this Assembly motion is having - the Labor Party associated clubs to withdraw all applications for poker machines that are currently before the Government, that is, the Canberra Labor Club, the Canberra Workers Club and the Ginninderra Labor Club, all of whom have applications currently before the Government, as I understand it, for a sizeable increase in the number of poker machines they have. It seems to me that these poker machines, by their revenue, will add to Labor Party coffers and, therefore, there is a conflict of interest for the Labor Party in this issue. But that conflict would be removed by support of this amendment. There is a clear way of removing it. If the Labor Party themselves cannot see that, I would have thought that other members would be able to see that clear conflict of interest, and this is one way of dealing with it.

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