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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 3 Hansard (7 March) . . Page.. 649 ..

MR SPEAKER: We are discussing ACTEW.

MR BERRY: That is where I was - underneath a T-shirt, demonstrating my ownership and the fact that they were not for sale as far as I was concerned. Where were you?

Mr Kaine: On the other side of the picket line.

MR BERRY: Yes, that is right. Mr Kaine raised the point, "Nobody will come along and buy this if we do not get rid of it now". That is not a good enough reason. I have to base my decisions and judgment on better evidence than that. There are many experts issuing a litany of reasons why we need to delay this, and listen, and question, and make sure that we have all of the goods on these people opposite. Those of you who have seen the financial and management disasters in this place, emanating from this Cabinet, dominated by this pair, have to be cautious. If you are not cautious, we will see again the kinds of events that followed from the Bruce Stadium matter and the sorts of things that still flow from the hospital implosion - that is still going to cost the Territory millions of dollars.

Mr Speaker, you cannot trust the word of these people in relation to financial matters. You have to examine it yourself. A simple press release from the Chief Minister singing the praises of this particular venture is just not good enough. The information that we have before us today clearly demonstrates that we need to wait. Now, we think that by June we might begin to uncover some of this. I promised not to sell ACTEW, and it will take a lot to convince me that I should change my mind. I never hid my feelings on the issue, which is what this mob opposite did, and they need to be exposed a little more in relation to that. Mr Speaker, there is absolutely no reason why we should rush this through, and there are many reasons why we should wait and consider the matter more closely.

Mr Speaker, we have been presented today with ample evidence for waiting. Even if we only relied upon the evidence given to us by the Government, we should be cautious, given our experience with these people. Mr Speaker, we have ample evidence showing that we should wait, and so we should wait. This is a motion that deserves the support of this Assembly.

MR QUINLAN (5.52): Very briefly, Mr Speaker, I do not think we could support that on this side of the house. I rather think that two days is insufficient time for Mr Humphries to find out which way is up in relation to this particular deal.

Question put:

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