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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 3 Hansard (9 March) . . Page.. 877 ..

MR STANHOPE (continuing):

you cannot find a single Canberran who is prepared to admit that they voted for Michael Moore. They are all too embarrassed. It is one of the most amazing things.

Do you remember at one stage nobody would ever admit that they ever supported Billy McMahon at his worst? The same thing has happened with Michael Moore. There is not a single person in Canberra who is prepared to put their hand up and say, "I supported that bloke". It is one of the funniest things I have come across over the last year. It is really quite amusing.

Mr Stefaniak: No-one says they voted for Wayne.

MR STANHOPE: You know one person, do you, Bill?

Mr Stefaniak: No, who voted for Wayne. No-one usually admits to that either, but obviously a lot of people do because he is here.

MR STANHOPE: Many people did. This Government has failed a major test of responsibility. It was not prepared to put on the table in this place or release to the community for the information of the public this vital information. As my colleague Mr Quinlan has said, in his discussions of only two or three weeks ago, it was said that the equalisation payment could be as much as $250m. On Tuesday of this week, the Treasurer admitted that it may be $100m. Today in question time the Treasurer conceded there may in fact not be any payment at all.

These are the facts. Two weeks ago there was touted a possible equalisation payment of $250m. Tuesday, two days ago, it was $100m. Today, who can say? We all noticed that when the Treasurer said, "How can I, on my heart," he put his left hand across his chest and held his right shoulder. It struck some of us as quite prophetic that the Treasurer reached for his right shoulder when he was searching for his heart.

We do not know what, if any, equalisation payment there will be. We do not know the cost of this mooted - some of us in our cynicism think mythical - gas-fired electricity generator. I am sure there will be some keen bets laid by gamblers around town about the year or the decade or perhaps even the century in which the gas-fired generator is constructed.

Mr Quinlan: We'll get there.

MR STANHOPE: You think we will get a generator, do you?

Mr Quinlan: Yes, we will pay for it.

MR STANHOPE: Yes, if we pay for it we will get one. It would be interesting to see whether that turns up in any of the documentation, whether there is some contract. I wonder whether Mr Rugendyke or Mr Kaine got a promise in their letters about the gas-fired generator. I would like to know what the promises were in relation to the gas-fired generator.

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