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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 2 Hansard (1 March) . . Page.. 438 ..
MR HUMPHRIES (continuing):
I believe is supportable. It is strongly supported by the ACTEW board. Members who have spoken to the ACTEW board or the chief executive or other members will be well aware of their view about the strength of this proposal. I think it is important to start giving the ACTEW board some credit for having the capacity to make sensible, commercial decisions.
Mr Berry: For toeing the government line? What else would you expect?
MR HUMPHRIES: The ACTEW board does not believe that it is being told by the Government to go out there and do that.
Mr Berry: It toes the government line; it does not have to be told.
MR HUMPHRIES: You know in your heart of hearts that, if you talk to any member of the ACTEW board in private about this matter, they will confirm that what they have put forward to the Government is what we ought to do - every last one of them. You know that. No matter what you might say publicly, you know that is the case.
Mr Berry: They know what you want; they do not have to be told.
MR HUMPHRIES: You can make those claims, Mr Berry. That is your usual approach. You know and I know, and everybody else in this place knows, that the ACTEW board back this proposal, not because they have been told by the Government to back it but because they know ACTEW will be much less secure in the marketplace as soon as competition breaks over the Territory. Protection of employees in that enterprise is dependent on a capacity to get a better position in the marketplace than it presently has.
I need to remind members that the Government briefed Mr Quinlan's committee on the top four options and provided the reasons that they had been chosen some time ago on this matter. Mr Quinlan's committee said, "That's not our business. That's your business. You take care of the subject".
Mr Quinlan: Read the Hansard. "Bring them to the Assembly" is what I said.
MR HUMPHRIES: It must be absolutely obvious to everybody watching this debate that the Opposition intend to say no to whatever we put forward. I hope they realise that the rest of the community does not have the luxury of simply sitting on its hands waiting for the future to hit us.
MR KAINE
: My question is to the Chief Minister. I refer to the question that I asked her some days ago about the open day at Bruce Stadium. I have received an answer, and I thank her for that. However, the answer raises more questions than it answers. For example, in her answer the Chief Minister said that an estimated 4,500 to 5,000 people attended this event. Was this an actual number or was it a best wish list guess? My understanding is that people went through the turnstiles. Can she tell me how many
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