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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 2 Hansard (2 March) . . Page.. 513 ..

Mr Berry: I take a point of order, Mr Speaker. This is ridiculous. The Leader of the Opposition did not ask Mr Humphries whether he had said 1 July; he asked him whether he was aware of certain facts in other places. I wish he would get to the question.

MR SPEAKER: No, he did not. There is no point of order, Mr Berry.

Mr Moore: You abuse the system, Wayne Berry.

MR SPEAKER: I sometimes think that this happens when you do not like the answer, Mr Berry, but maybe I am just suspicious.

MR HUMPHRIES: Mr Speaker, if they find me on the record, it will probably be for giving the date of 1 July 2001, because that is the date that I had been working on, at least until recently. Go back and check the record, Mr Stanhope, and see what is actually on it. Mr Speaker, I have to say that everybody Mr Stanhope has referred to has been engaged in an exercise in preparing for the future.

Mr Stanhope: So we do not need the debate this week.

MR HUMPHRIES: I do not know why I am bothering, Mr Speaker, as they are not listening.

MR SPEAKER: I must admit that it is very difficult.

MR HUMPHRIES: Mr Speaker, I will talk to somebody else.

MR SPEAKER: You can talk to me, if you like.

MR HUMPHRIES: Mr Speaker, the fact is that there is a very clear perception across this country that there will be a dramatic change. Even if we assume that it will take place on 1 January 2001 - - -

Mr Stanhope: So we will not wither on the vine until then.

MR SPEAKER: Will you stop yapping, Mr Stanhope.

MR HUMPHRIES: Please let me finish a sentence, Mr Stanhope. Even if you assume that it will happen on 1 January 2001, why is that an argument not to start to prepare now for that change? Why is it not an argument to get ready to deal with that changed environment? Are you going to get up in this place and tell me that you confidently predict that if this joint venture between AGL and ACTEW does not place, ACTEW will be able to retain 99 per cent of its customers, as you claimed was the case in, I think, California? Are you saying that that will be the case in the ACT? I think we know the answer to that, Mr Speaker. Mr Stanhope knows that it would not be case, that there is a very real level of risk there. My job as a Minister is to help manage risk - risk to the ACT community, risk to the assets of the ACT community. I have had not merely a twinkle of warning, but beacon-like messages saying - - -

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