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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1999 Week 13 Hansard (9 December) . . Page.. 4143 ..

MR BERRY: When we get the bill the Government will say, "Oh, look, we got television coverage in 50 countries around the world. What are you moaning about?". That will be what the Government will say. It will say, "It's cheap". When it adds up the television seconds that will be the coverage - - -

Mr Osborne: There will be pictures of Bruce Stadium with those empty seats going all around the world.

MR BERRY: Yes, but you cannot tell they are empty because they are - - -

Mr Rugendyke: Confetti coloured.

MR BERRY: They are all confetti coloured. Mr Temporary Deputy Speaker, CanDeliver joins the litany of mistakes which have flowed from the mismanagement of this can-do Government. This Government is about coming up with a media response when the need demands it. It is not about adequate consideration of what debt might face the territory taxpayers in the future. After all, this is not the Government's money, it is the territory taxpayers' money. The attitude of this Government is: "Who cares? We just want to make a splash and make it look as though we are doing something".

In 1997 this Government decided to set up CanDeliver. It was going to be the best thing since button-up boots and it was going to be the solution to all our problems. Ask Liberals who are ripping off Public Service jobs. They were going to fix it for the private sector. They were going to get all of that business arising from Johnny Howard's work on the hill, give it to local businesses, and everybody would prosper. Well, the ACT taxpayer did not prosper, but somebody has got hold of $1.5m and they are doing all right.

Mr Temporary Deputy Speaker, this is just another tragic piece of management which has come from this Government over its period of office. It is a sign of why its stocks are plummeting out there pretty much along the same lines as the distribution rates of its fellow traveller, the Canberra Times.

MR HUMPHRIES (Treasurer, Attorney-General and Minister for Justice and Community Safety) (5.10), in reply: Mr Temporary Deputy Speaker, I want to close the debate and to thank members for their support. However expressed, it was still support, and I am grateful for that. You take your votes whichever way they come. All crumpled up and smeared with excrement, they are still a vote for the thing, so I do not care.

MR TEMPORARY DEPUTY SPEAKER: You are very generous, Mr Humphries.

MR HUMPHRIES: Yes. I want to make a couple of comments about this. Mr Kaine asked what the total cost would be. I point out that we are not actually winding up CanDeliver today; we are only allowing it to divest itself of its main assets. There will still be an annual report to be presented by CanDeliver which will explain what the financial position has been.

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