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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1999 Week 8 Hansard (25 August) . . Page.. 2373 ..

MR STANHOPE: Mr Speaker, my question, which is addressed to the Chief Minister, is in relation to the user agreements between the Government and the major tenants of the redeveloped Bruce Stadium, the Raiders, the Brumbies and the Cosmos football teams. Will the Chief Minister tell the Assembly whether the original contracts with these tenants included a commercial-in-confidence clause preventing their public disclosure? If so, would she be able to provide the Assembly with a copy of the wording of the respective clause in each of the contracts?

MS CARNELL: Mr Speaker, it is my understanding that they do not have a clause along those lines, although I will check that. I will find out. What I think is important here is that we wrote to the hirers and asked them whether they were happy for their contract with the ACT Government to be released to this Assembly, and guess what they said? No. They said no because I assume that they felt that those opposite would probably play politics with it. It is hard to believe that that would happen, Mr Speaker. It is very, very hard to imagine. One of the things that it is important for those opposite to remember is what Mr Berry said and what others in the then Government, the Follett Government, said when we asked for the VITAB contract, a contract that went on to cost the ACT many millions of dollars. Mr Speaker, what was - - -

Mr Corbell: Not as much as Bruce Stadium.

MR SPEAKER: Order! There were far too many interjections yesterday. I do not intend to tolerate the same level today.

MS CARNELL: What was said by Mr Berry and others in the then Follett Government was that the VITAB contract would never be released under any circumstances. They went on to say how could a government expect to continue to do business, continue to operate, if they could not enter into contracts of the nature of the VITAB deal without a commercial-in-confidence capacity. That is what those opposite - - -

Mr Corbell: Did you agree with that at the time?

Mr Quinlan: No.

Mr Corbell: No, you didn't.

Mr Moore: I take a point of order, Mr Speaker. Mr Corbell continues to interject in the same way as he did yesterday, although not quite as vigorously as yesterday, but I think you have made the point already.

MR SPEAKER: I have indeed.

Mr Wood: This is today's campaign, is it? You discussed it this morning, did you? I didn't hear you defending us when we were sitting over there.

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