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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 3 Hansard (9 March) . . Page.. 850 ..

MR QUINLAN (continuing):

I take my own responsibilities here fairly seriously. I think I have demonstrated through debate in this place that I am concerned as to the long-term future of ACTEW. If this Bill goes through as it is, I will remain severely concerned as to the long-term future of ACTEW. I hope that I have made that point of clarification and that we can pass the motion with my amendment and yours.

MR BERRY (8.03): Mr Speaker, this is the first I have seen of this letter. I note the amendment moved by Mr Kaine, but one thing that does surprise me is that, in here, what was a guarantee of two years for all employees is now all employees less 20. So there will be 20 that are going to go.

Mr Humphries: That was always what we said. You go and check the Hansard. You read what is in Hansard.

MR BERRY: It has struck me that, on the public record at least, so far as the news reports are concerned, everything was going to be guaranteed. I hear Mr Humphries saying that 20 redundancies was always going to be the case. He never trumpeted that very loudly.

Mr Humphries: That was said twice in the Assembly in the last week.

MR BERRY: That strikes me as an outstanding change from the position announced by the chief executive of ACTEW. He said everything was guaranteed for two years.

Mr Humphries: No, I did not. They did not say that. That is not true.

MR BERRY: I think he said it on the ABC. That is what I heard, I think.

Mr Humphries: Well, you did not hear it right.

MR BERRY: No, I would not hear it right, would I? No. No, I could not possibly.

Mr Rugendyke: I heard it.

Mr Humphries: I heard it too.

MR BERRY: You said it was 20, did you?

Mr Humphries: Yes.

Mr Rugendyke: Yes, I knew that.

MR BERRY: All right. Why didn't you mention it to the Canberra Times today?

Mr Rugendyke: I didn't need to.

Mr Humphries: Well, that is a good question.

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