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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1998 Week 2 Hansard (21 May) . . Page.. 482 ..

MR KAINE (continuing):

Chief Minister, I have had a look at the purchasing manual for the ACT Government and I find no reference in there to better and different ways. I ask: Are there some guidelines written somewhere other than in the purchasing manual as to when it is appropriate for people purchasing on behalf of the Government to go to open tender and when it is appropriate to go some better and different way? If there are such guidelines, could we have them tabled?

MS CARNELL: Mr Speaker, as Mr Kaine is quoting me, I would like to quote Mr Kaine in the Assembly last year; in fact, in the same month or so, I think, that we actually launched the branding approach. Mr Kaine said:

Whilst the Opposition -

meaning those opposite -

fixates on process issues, this Government will continue to focus on outcomes and on creating jobs for Canberrans ... this Government will rigorously seek to extend our horizons with integrated but carefully directed marketing initiatives wherever we can get the best advantage.

Mr Speaker, Mr Kaine was right, and that is exactly the approach the Government takes. It is interesting, with regard to the J. Walter Thompson approach, that the J. Walter Thompson contract for working up the brand vision was for $50,000 and, as Mr Kaine is now an expert on that particular document, he will realise that for $50,000 or under there is no requirement there to go to tender. It is also important, Mr Speaker, to realise that J. Walter Thompson's services are as project managers this year, which I think is for a similar amount - again under the amount for which we need to go to tender under that particular document.

As to J. Walter Thompson and the Feel the Power of Canberra campaign, there was an open tender approach for the actual organisation or implementation, shall we say, of the Feel the Power campaign. The tender process was undertaken and it did identify local agencies to undertake that role, because the size of that contract was some $500,000 this year. Two local companies, City Graphics and MA&D Communication, were the successful tenderers. So it depends, too, on how much the particular tender is for, Mr Speaker. For $50,000 or under, we do not need to go to tender under those particular documents. But, as Mr Kaine said in the Assembly, this Government is not fixated on processes; we are fixated on outcomes and creating jobs.

MR KAINE: I have a supplementary question. The Chief Minister is good at reading answers prepared in anticipation of a question, but she answered a question that I did not ask. My question was a much broader one as to guidelines issued to people who spend millions of dollars of government money and where are the guidelines that tell them when they can use new, different and innovative approaches and when they have to use open tendering. I would still like to see the guidelines. The Chief Minister, in the answer that was given, said, "... we believe we can get the outcomes". Chief Minister, is that the royal "we", or are there people other than you who can make this judgment?

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