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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 3 Hansard (7 March) . . Page.. 578 ..
MS CARNELL (continuing):
It is commercial-in-confidence. It was an agreement between VITAB and us. While that commercial-in-confidence position is observed by both parties, it will be observed by us.
He also said:
It is fair enough that people who have commercial contracts with the ACT would expect them to be kept in confidence.
He also said this, Mr Speaker:
The issue of commercial-in-confidence contracts is one that has been raised here before.
And it had been, Mr Speaker. This is not the first time. Back in 1994, commercial-in-confidence had been used by the previous Labor Government. He went on to say:
As I have indicated in this place, unless I had the agreement of the company to table commercial-in-confidence matters I would not table them. You are not entitled in the normal course of events to commercial-in-confidence documents and, no, they will not be tabled without the agreement of the company.
That is what Mr Berry said on 22 February 1994, Mr Speaker, yet we get Mr Berry standing up in this place and making comments that obviously are not in line with those very definite comments he made often in 1994.
Mr Speaker, I think it is important that we get this issue right because there are competing rights. People outside this Assembly, as Mr Berry rightly said, do have rights. As this document from the scrutiny of Bills committee suggests, there is the value of trade secrets, intellectual property and other information of commercial value. It goes on. There are rights here and it is important that this Assembly take that matter very seriously. I agree with Mr Kaine that it is important that we take this information seriously. I certainly agree with Mr Moore's approach of sitting around a table and trying to come up with something that we all support, that reflects the scrutiny of Bills committee's report and respects the rights of the community, whatever part of the community we are talking about, with regard to agreements.
MR SPEAKER: Ms Tucker, are you seeking leave to comment?
MS TUCKER: I am.
Leave granted.
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