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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1999 Week 9 Hansard (2 September) . . Page.. 2798 ..

MR HUMPHRIES: Mr Speaker, the short answer is yes, I will. Obviously I am concerned if there is a suggestion of a lack of propriety in any arrangements or dealings the Government has. I have not had long to examine the opinion that Ms Tucker has sent to me, but obviously its bottom line - the conclusion, according to the person writing the opinion, that offences have probably occurred - concerns me. I have been advised in the short period of time that I have been able to obtain advice from the Office of Asset Management area within my department that there are some assumptions in the opinion which may not be accurate, but obviously they would be part of the investigation that Ms Tucker has urged me to undertake, and I am very happy to indicate that I will undertake that.

MS TUCKER: I ask a supplementary question. Could you also explain to the Assembly why departmental officers did not do the simple checks that could have been done at the time the application was made in 1997 to determine whether Tokich Homes did indeed trade as Eco-Land and that other members of the Eco-Land group had authorised Tokich Homes to act on their behalf?

MR HUMPHRIES: Ms Tucker has just asked me to conduct some investigation of what is going on and now wants me to explore the issues that will be covered by that investigation. I am sure she would appreciate - - -

Ms Tucker: This question is about your department.

MR HUMPHRIES: Does she want me to have the investigation conducted without examining the issue she has now asked me questions about?

Ms Tucker: Okay, you can report back on that issue too.

MR HUMPHRIES: She does not answer my question. I can only assume that she does in fact want me to investigate as well the appropriate - - -

Ms Tucker: If you have not already looked at it, you can report back. I thought you would have already looked at it.

MR HUMPHRIES: Mr Speaker, I am quite happy to exclude the things that Ms Tucker would like to ask me questions about now, in which case I will answer now those questions that she has just raised with me, or I will include them in the investigation. But, with great respect to Ms Tucker, she cannot have it both ways. She cannot have me give an answer now but have the issue about which I have answered investigated in a separate investigation. I think she wants me to investigate all the issues to do with this. Therefore, I will do that and answer her question more fully when I have the result of the investigation.

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