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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1998 Week 11 Hansard (9 December) . . Page.. 3359 ..

MS CARNELL (continuing):

moved into legislation. That legislation will need to be passed in this house prior to any actual sale of ACTEW. That statement of regulatory intent will cover, as we have made it clear, such things as price, environment, service, ensuring that the ACT customers, the ACT taxpayers, have significantly greater protection than they have now.

Mr Quinlan: You are saying, "Trust me".

MS CARNELL: We are not saying, "Trust me". We are saying that we will be putting it in legislation before any sale goes ahead. Mr Speaker, we have indicated that we will be setting up a consumer council that actually has directive powers, things that do not exist now. There will be a capacity for consumers to complain to it and get results - not an ombudsman, not an advisory body, a body that actually has directive powers. Mr Speaker, this is a huge step in the right direction with regard to service. It shows without doubt that the approach that we have put in place, certainly an approach that is best practice, is miles ahead of that in any other part of Australia - - -

Mr Corbell: That is what Jeff Kennett said, too.

MR SPEAKER: Mr Corbell, you are under one warning. I am quite capable of naming you if you keep this up.

Mr Corbell: I am sure you would be, Mr Speaker.

MS CARNELL: Mr Speaker, this approach does ensure service delivery, does ensure maintenance of assets, and does ensure return to the ACT taxpayer. Mr Speaker, those opposite have not said what they would do to achieve those outcomes.

MR CORBELL: I am glad that the Chief Minister says, "Trust me", because that is what she is asking everyone in this place to do. Mr Speaker, I have a supplementary question. Will the Chief Minister now admit that her rush to sell off ACTEW is to avoid the scrutiny of the Canberra community in any real debate about the adequacy of the regulatory framework, about the nature of the franchise arrangement, as raised by my colleague Mr Quinlan earlier, or about the protection of a safe and sustainable water and electricity supply? Will she admit that her rush to sell off ACTEW is to avoid any scrutiny of the economic implications, as has been raised by my colleague Mr Stanhope? Will the Chief Minister admit that she does not know the answers to any of these questions expressed by the community so far, and she knows very well that the sale of ACTEW will not stand up to public scrutiny? Will the Chief Minister admit that she is just crashing through with this appalling lack of process to avoid being accountable to the community, who have not given her Government a mandate for sale?

MS CARNELL: It is interesting how long a supplementary question can be, Mr Speaker.

Mr Kaine: How long can the answer to a supplementary be?

MS CARNELL: If I answered every bit of it, the whole of question time. Mr Speaker, obviously that - - -

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