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

Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1999 Week 10 Hansard (13 October) . . Page.. 3066 ..

MS CARNELL: That is true, Mr Speaker. It was about the V8 supercar race, which comes under my responsibility. Mr Corbell came in here yesterday and asked me about the Australian Vee Eight Supercar Company.

Mr Stanhope: Good question.

MS CARNELL: Mr Stanhope says, "Good question". He made some very interesting interjections himself yesterday, Mr Speaker. In that question there were some serious imputations against the company involved. As members will know, I took the question on notice and came back into this place later in the day, before 5 o'clock as I recall, and answered Mr Corbell's question comprehensively. I made it clear that the company we were negotiating with over the right to host the round of the V8 supercar series had not been deregistered. I even produced a company search to back up my statement. So there was no doubt - no doubt at all - by 5 o'clock yesterday that Mr Corbell was barking up the wrong tree. In other words, he put wrong information on the Hansard in this place.

Mr Stanhope: He asked a question.

MS CARNELL: Mr Speaker, what I did not know was that Mr Corbell had already gone out and spoken to the media about the issue. If this was supposedly a question eliciting information, it is interesting that Mr Corbell would put out a media release and make comments in the media. I will just quote some of those comments. So much for asking questions, Mr Speaker!

To prove my point, let me quote from the WIN Television news last night, where Mr Corbell said:

In other words, Mr Corbell was publicly accusing the Government of engaging in improper conduct with a company that had been deregistered - no ifs, no buts. He was not out there posing questions, as he claimed; he was having a red hot go at this Government and a private company. But, wait a minute, by 5 o'clock, he knew beyond any shadow of a doubt - and so did Mr Stanhope - that we were doing nothing of the sort and that the company they were throwing innuendos at was the wrong company. But did that stop him from going out there and making a series of very serious allegations against both the private company and the Government? Did Mr Corbell get on the phone at 5 o'clock and ring up WIN TV and the other outlets and say, "Look, pull the story; I was wrong."? Did he come into this house this morning and get up, as Mr Smyth did yesterday - - -

Mr Hird: And Mr Hird.

MS CARNELL: And Mr Hird, to say, "Look, Assembly, I am terribly sorry, I was wrong."? No, Mr Speaker, he did not. Mr Corbell thought he could get away with it. He thought that no-one would pick him up on his glaring error. Obviously he was wrong. This is about as basic a mistake as you can make.

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