Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .

Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1999 Week 1 Hansard (2 February) . . Page.. 69 ..

MR MOORE (continuing):

But when it comes to the crunch, there is a series of unpalatable choices. I think that this Assembly is going to say to us today that the one that is most unpalatable, the sale of ACTEW, is not on. Members, we therefore have to look at some of the other unpalatable choices and try to work out what is the least worst of them. I can see Mr Berry laughing and chuckling away. We came across Berry economics during the election campaign. The rest of us actually consider that we have a serious problem with our superannuation liability and we have identified the level of it and some things for dealing with it. We are going to have to decide what choice we are going to make.

Debate interrupted.

ADJOURNMENT

MR DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! It being 5.00 pm, I propose the question:

That the Assembly do now adjourn.

Mr Moore: I require the question to be put forthwith without debate.

Question resolved in the negative.

ACTEW CORPORATION LIMITED - PROPOSED DISPOSAL

[COGNATE BILL:

ACTEW (TRANSFER SCHEME) BILL 1998]

Debate resumed.

MR MOORE: The choices are there. They are stark. They are not nice. If each and every one of them were taken to the community, there would be a 70 per cent reaction against them individually. That is what I would expect to be the case. Perhaps that is a problem for the Government. Certainly, Mrs Carnell has said that in retrospect, with the wisdom of hindsight, she would have done it differently. But those choices are there and the one thing that we must do is make a choice so that we do not pass this problem of superannuation liability on to our children.

MR QUINLAN (5.01): Mr Deputy Speaker, from the very start, this debate has been replete with frightening numbers - frightening in terms of their size, frightening in terms of their base, so I am told. We heard some time ago that ACTEW would lose half a billion dollars if not sold now; that New South Wales is coming into the market and those awful Labor people are going to flood the market with electricity enterprises, so we had better get in first. If this particular Liberal Government follows that logic, it is a severe vote of no confidence in Kerry Chikarovski and George Souris. Mr Souris has been quoted recently as saying he would take a serious look at not selling electricity distribution

Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .