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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1999 Week 1 Hansard (2 February) . . Page.. 27 ..

MR WOOD (12.12): Mr Speaker, a matter of privilege has been raised and it will be dealt with. There will be subsequent apologies, I have no doubt, from some members - Mr Moore, for example, who spoke much too soon in this debate. If he had waited until after Mr Stanhope, he might have some reputation left. Once again - - -

Mr Moore: What about standing orders and Mr Hird's comments?

MR WOOD: Yes, keep trying to divert attention. Once again, in interjections there were suggestions that Mr Hird's motion to confirm the minutes was not of that Saturday meeting. It was indeed, Mr Hird, of that Saturday meeting - the minutes of meeting No. 10, Saturday, 30 January. Just to cover the interjections on the motion of Mr Hird, the minutes of meeting No. 9 were confirmed - the Saturday meeting.

Mr Hird: They were the Friday's.

MR WOOD: The Saturday. Go and read your minutes.

Mr Hird: I would like to have a copy of the minutes, if it is at all possible.

MR SPEAKER: Order!

Mr Moore: When did you sign it off, Bill Wood?

MR SPEAKER: Order! The house will come to order. Mr Smyth.

Mr Moore: When did you sign it off, Bill Wood? Why do you not want to say?

Mr Hird: Yes, when did you sign it off, Bill Wood?

Mr Wood: You have dug a hole for yourselves; that is what you have done.

MR SPEAKER: Mr Wood, be careful when I am standing. Mr Smyth, would you like to participate in the debate relating to this report or would you just like to involve yourself in a slanging match about dates?

MR SMYTH (Minister for Urban Services) (12.13): I would certainly like to take my turn, Mr Speaker. The whole purpose of this report, the whole purpose of this inquiry, was, according to paragraph (1)(c) of the terms of reference, to suggest any alternatives to the proposed one-off funding option. If one turns to the pages that have a summary of the recommendations, one would certainly hope to find somewhere in there a summary of alternatives that may help the ACT meet its unfunded superannuation liability. The Chief Minister has addressed the lack of substance in this report, but it is worth going back to it because, of the 11 recommendations, it is only recommendation 9 that even attempts, and attempts quite poorly, to come up with answers.

There are no answers in this report. We have had an inquiry to give us an answer that gives us no answer, so one would have to question why we would bother at all. The report "recommends that the Assembly takes careful note", "recommends that all future work", "recommends that the Assembly take note of Mr Ford's suggestion",

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