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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1999 Week 9 Hansard (31 August) . . Page.. 2595 ..

MR BERRY: Mr Speaker, if I said that this Assembly was a bunch of geese for not supporting an Estimates Committee - - -

MR SPEAKER: It would be out of order anyway.

MR BERRY: That would be out of order because that is a reflection on the Assembly members. But, Mr Speaker, I am not saying that. What I am saying is that these are the questions that we might have asked and they remain unanswered in a public process. Mr Speaker, if you just made a direct grant of $7.5m to jobs, that is something like 250 jobs at $30,000 each. The document that we have been given, if the jobs claim is a good one, says, "Over 150 full or part-time equivalent jobs". What on earth does that mean? What is a part-time equivalent job? Tell me.

Mr Humphries: It is a job that is not full-time.

MR BERRY: For one hour? For 10 hours? What do these numbers mean? See, these are the questions that we might have asked, given the opportunity.

Mr Humphries: You could have asked.

MR BERRY: In a public process, but we were not able to have that public process.

Mr Humphries: You did not ask them anywhere. What about the Assembly?

MR BERRY: We would not ask you, Mr Humphries, because we know we would get disinformation in relation to the matter. Mr Speaker, I think it is about jobs too, but the question that arises in relation to this matter is what will it deliver for the Territory? We are sceptical. Mr Humphries tries to create the impression that I am opposed to this. I have said, on the record, that we want this to succeed. The Government has made a decision. It is the Government's decision. It is going to throw $7.5m at this and in the end it has to succeed, otherwise the territory taxpayers have to pay again. Can you tell me what a part-time equivalent job is? It is the first time I have ever seen it measured this way. What does it mean? Is it a part-time job for one hour, or for 30 minutes?

Mr Humphries: Well, we do not know, Wayne. It is less than full time.

MR BERRY: Mr Humphries says, "We do not know". So we do not know whether this is a part-time equivalent job for 30 minutes or a full-time job for several years. These are questions that I think are quite relevant in the scheme of things. To jump up and say this is all about jobs when you do not really know what the outcome is going to be becomes a little bit - - -

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