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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1999 Week 10 Hansard (14 October) . . Page.. 3140 ..

MS TUCKER (continuing):

asked me to withdraw certain statements. The Chief Minister had said that she expected Mr Corbell to get on the phone at 5 o'clock. She asked whether he had rung WIN TV and other outlets and said, "Look, pull the story; I was wrong". She went on to say that he had not even put out a press release to undo the damage he has done by misleading the ACT public.

My concern was whether the Minister had put out a press release about his own retraction and apology. Prime Television was not contacted by Brendan Smyth's office to correct any incorrect impression they may have had. Neither was any other media outlet, as far as I know. This is where the double standards obviously lie. Prime Television's coverage of this story may well have been different if they had known about the retraction and apology that was made by the Minister.

Mr Humphries claims that I was incorrect to claim that Mr Smyth had misled because his words were true. I am prepared to withdraw a suggestion that Mr Smyth's words were untrue, but I still believe that they gave a false impression as they gave only part of the story.

The Chief Minister argued that you cannot dictate what the media will report, but we have an ethical responsibility to give them a reasonable chance of knowing what has occurred in the Assembly, and, as we all know, television reporters are pressed for time and are rarely here at question time. I am still interested to know whether the Chief Minister is asking Mr Smyth to put out a press release, as she asked Mr Corbell to do.

Mr Humphries: You want us to apologise when we make mistakes, but you will not do it, Kerrie.

MS TUCKER: I did say I am sorry. I withdrew.

Ms Carnell: You withdrew. Okay.

MS TUCKER: Yes, I did.

MR STANHOPE: Mr Speaker, my question is to the Minister for Health and Community Care and is about the fate of residents at the two COOOL houses in Macquarie. As the Minister would know, there are eight residents at these houses, mostly younger people who have been disabled through something like MS. All were residents of nursing homes, as that is the level of care they need. They moved to the COOOL houses, following promises of greater self-determination and more say in their individual care plans - promises that this Government has so far failed to keep. Because of earlier problems, Community Care has been delivering care to these residents since last year. In February this year a consultant's report strongly recommended that the residents be given more control. It recommended self-determination as a way of healing after years of anguish. At estimates this year departmental officers, and you also,

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