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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 3 Hansard (7 March) . . Page.. 601 ..

ACTEW/AGL - Proposed Joint Venture

MR BERRY: My question is to the Chief Minister and is in relation to the proposed ACTEW/AGL joint venture. Chief Minister, noting firstly the Government's decisions, announced in your media statement of 6 December 1999 and AGL's media statement of 7 December 1999 where you personally sing the praises of the joint venture, secondly, the obligations of voting shareholders under the Territory Owned Corporations Act - I can go to some of them if you would like me to, but I am sure that you are aware of them - and, thirdly, Mr Rugendyke's requirement, announced on ABC radio this morning, that there be no Kate Carnell fingerprints on this deal like there were in the Bruce Stadium matter, will you say to this Assembly today that you have had nothing to do with this deal?

MS CARNELL: Mr Speaker, I can guarantee that neither Mr Humphries nor I will be involved in the contractual negotiations between AGL and ACTEW. It would not be appropriate for us to be so. Neither of us will be involved at all.

MR BERRY: I have a supplementary question. Chief Minister, how can you deny that your fingerprints will be all over this deal when you have publicly given the deal the thumbs-up and, as a voting shareholder, you will have to give your written consent before ACTEW can dispose of any of its main undertakings? Notwithstanding your prudential obligations as a voting shareholder - - -

MR SPEAKER: Never mind the editorial. That is the supplementary question. You may answer the section relating to whether you have to sign things, Chief Minister. The rest of it - - -

Mr Berry: I take a point of order, Mr Speaker. There were not two parts to that question; it was a one-part question. I will not be muzzled - - -

MR SPEAKER: It was a one-part question and a great deal of it was out of order.

Mr Berry: It was not out of order at all.

MR SPEAKER: I call the Chief Minister.

MS CARNELL: Mr Speaker, again I can guarantee that Mr Humphries and I will not be involved in the negotiations between AGL and ACTEW. The ACTEW board, headed up very capably by Jim Service, will handle those negotiations. When the shareholders are asked - - -

Mr Berry: You have to sign the deal.

Mr Stanhope: You have to rubber stamp it. Our shareholders are rubber stamps.

MR SPEAKER: Questions, please. I call Ms Tucker.

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