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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1999 Week 7 Hansard (1 July) . . Page.. 2010 ..

MR KAINE: It is not public money.

Ms Carnell: No.

MR KAINE: Okay. That is what I was not clear on. So, Qantas is paying for travel for selected members of the ACT Government; I presume that is the case. Would travel to a private function put on by Telstra normally fit within a promote ACT account from whatever the source of funds?

MS CARNELL: Yes, Mr Speaker, Telstra have a strategic partnership with the ACT Government and we spend a very large amount of money with Telstra. Those sorts of events are exactly the ones that Ministers - I in particular - have to get out to. We have to continue to lift the profile of the ACT as a place in which we want entities like Telstra to expand. I have to say that Telstra is expanding very nicely in Canberra at the moment and has created over 100 jobs over the last 12 months or so.

Mr Moore: How many?

MS CARNELL: Over 100 new jobs. Obviously, the work we are doing with Telstra is bearing fruit. We are also, of course, having discussions with Telstra in areas such as call centres which I believe are absolutely essential for the future of Canberra because they create very real jobs for our kids. I have to say that I do not apologise even slightly. In fact, I think we should do lots more of it.

MR WOOD: Mr Speaker, my question is to the Minister for Education, Mr Stefaniak, and relates to matters arising from the report of the inquest into the death of a young man in Quamby, a report released a couple of days ago. Minister, in respect of each of the five Quamby officers named by the coroner: First, what is the current employment situation and, secondly, what redundancy or other payments have been made to date? Can you assure the Assembly and the community that no further actions on redundancies will occur until there has been time for appropriate advice and consideration?

MR STEFANIAK: I thank the member for the question. The current employment status is, I understand, that one of the employees has resigned from the Public Service, one is currently working with the Supreme Court, two have left the service with redundancies and one is currently on leave and is due to go at the end of July. In relation to the second point, the actual details of the three cases where there are redundancies involved, I do not have that information. I will take that on notice for you, Mr Wood. In relation to the third point, I did indicate on Monday when the report came down that I had spoken to an officer of the Government Solicitor's Office, who is looking into a number of questions for me in relation to the coroner's report.

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