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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1998 Week 3 Hansard (26 May) . . Page.. 558 ..

MR QUINLAN: Mr Speaker, my question is addressed to the Minister for Education. In today's Canberra Times Mr John Boland, managing director of the Kippax Pool and Fitness Centre, asserts in relation to his complaint to the Competitive Neutrality Complaints Unit about the proposed construction of Belconnen pool:

The Minister for Sport and Recreation was also aware of the submission prior to the ceremonial turning of the sod ... prior to the last election.

When was the Minister first aware of complaints lodged with the unit by Mr Boland and the management of the Big Splash at Jamison?

MR STEFANIAK: I thank the member for the question. It was interesting. I saw that letter too, Mr Quinlan, and I think Mr Boland might need to get his facts right. I checked my diary. I recall that the announcement of the site was the day after I got back from leave, and I recall seeing Mr Boland on Friday, 16 January. In terms of when he or anyone else actually lodged their complaint, the exact dates were not known to me until some considerable time later. Mr Boland, on 19 January, first raised the possibility, I think, of him adopting certain courses of action; but I was certainly unaware of when he intended to do so. I note, Mr Quinlan, that I think he did so later on that month.

MR SPEAKER: Do you have a supplementary question, Mr Quinlan?

MR QUINLAN: Minister, will you say that Mr Boland is wrong, or is he misleading us?

MR STEFANIAK: How can I say anything like that, Mr Quinlan? Do not be ridiculous. I can tell you, Mr Quinlan, that I saw Mr Boland on Friday, 16 January, as I checked my diary. That was when I saw him. That, you might recall, was after the announcement of the actual site, which I believe occurred on the Monday of that week.

MS TUCKER: My question is to the Chief Minister. On page 1 of the ACT Competitive Neutrality Complaints Unit report on the Belconnen pool the complaints unit comments that, although the competition principles agreement requires that the competitive neutrality principles be applied to significant government business activities, the Government has determined that in the ACT there is a benefit in applying the principles to all government-owned businesses and business activities, rather than restricting the application to significant businesses. Mrs Carnell, when did the Government make the decision to apply competitive neutrality to all government business activities in the ACT, and what processes were followed before the Government took this decision?

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