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

Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1999 Week 4 Hansard (20 April) . . Page.. 982 ..

MR OSBORNE (continuing):

I think you said a couple of days later that many of them were uninhabitable and due for urgent maintenance. If this is true, how could they possibly have been available for refugees in the first place?

MR SMYTH: I think your colleague Mr Rugendyke said that he would take some, that he would put some up, because he felt that there was a need for a community response. If you look at the Chief Minister's statement, I think you will find the Chief Minister said that we would look at all options, and that of course would include public housing where possible.

MR KAINE: My question, through you, Mr Speaker, is to the Chief Minister. It has to do with a report which I sought for some time in connection with a visit by a senior officer to France to look into water franchising. I hope the Chief Minister sees the same humour in this question as I do. The Chief Minister has produced a report, which I thank her for. In connection with that, the Chief Minister castigated me recently for being mistaken as to when this visit took place. Perhaps I can be forgiven for that, when it is obvious that the officer himself is not too clear. That is the substance of part of my question. This report, which is entitled "Water Franchising Review: Fact Finding Visit to France in October 1998", was published only in March. Perhaps the fact that it took four months to write the report accounts for the discrepancies in that title. I ask the Chief Minister, first of all: How could this have been a fact-finding visit to France in October 1998, when, according to the itinerary in the report, the officer did not leave Australia until 14 November? I think I can be forgiven for being a bit mistaken as to when this visit took place. When I look at the itinerary, I note that virtually the first 24 hours of this visit was actually spent in Casablanca in Morocco, so the second part of my question is: Did the officer concerned, and does the Chief Minister, know that Morocco is not a province of France; it is in fact an independent monarchy in North Africa on the other side of the Mediterranean?

MS CARNELL: Yes, I do know, and it is certainly my knowledge that the officer was there in November, not October.

MR KAINE: I ask a supplementary question, Mr Speaker. It has to do with whether the Humphrey Bogart of the ACT Public Service might have done some other things as well. The report is obviously silent on the question, and I would ask the Chief Minister to see whether she can inform the Assembly as to what the cost of that visit was.

MS CARNELL: I will take that on notice, Mr Speaker. I am sure that Mr Kaine would withdraw any inferences that he may have made in that question that the officer was not performing his duty. I can guarantee that the officer was doing so.

I ask that all further questions be placed on the notice paper.

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