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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1998 Week 7 Hansard (23 September) . . Page.. 2089 ..

PERSONAL EXPLANATIONS

MR SMYTH (Minister for Urban Services): Mr Speaker, I wish to make a personal explanation.

MR SPEAKER: Proceed.

MR SMYTH: Earlier today both Mr Stanhope and Mr Berry sought to suggest that I had in some way misled this house in statements I made yesterday in answering Mr Rugendyke's question. I would like to quote from Hansard what I said to the house yesterday:

I have checked with Mr Thurston, the head of ACTION, and as yet we have received no firm offers from the TWU at all.

There is nothing in Mr Thurston's letter which was tabled this morning that in any way suggests that a firm offer has been received. Mr Speaker, I now table a letter from Mr Thurston which came into my office this afternoon. It confirms this earlier advice. It says:

In summary you were correct in saying as yet we have received no firm offers from the TWU. This remains the case now.

The part that perhaps Mr Stanhope overlooked when he read from Mr Thurston's letter of yesterday was that the correspondence from Mr Thurston is in fact in response to a without prejudice revised document that Mr Santi tabled at a meeting on Monday, and that is clearly not a firm offer.

MR HARGREAVES: Mr Speaker, I seek leave under standing order 46 to make a personal explanation.

Leave granted.

MR HARGREAVES: I am delighted to be able to follow the Minister for the bursting banks at Banks. I believe that, in answering the dorothy dixer from the honourable Harold Hird, the Minister misrepresented me as placing some sort of blame on the Government for the problems at Banks. Indeed, I did not - - -

MR SPEAKER: I am waiting for a personal explanation under standing order 46.

MR HARGREAVES: That is what it is. I did say that the infrastructure was not up to the task. I was pleased to hear the Minister give revelation No. 622 that rain increases the flow of water. I did not figure that out.

Ms Carnell: I take a point of order, Mr Speaker. This is outside a personal explanation.

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