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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 7 Hansard (27 June) . . Page.. 2034 ..

MR QUINLAN (continuing):

I have to close by congratulating both ACTEW and AGL on the way that they appear to have conducted their relationship with our committee. All that says is, "What we ain't told, we don't know," but we cannot think of everything to ask. Certainly, we have given it our best shot. I commend the report to the Assembly.

At 5.00 pm the debate was interrupted in accordance with standing order 34. The motion for the adjournment of the Assembly having been put and negatived, the debate was resumed.

MS CARNELL (Chief Minister) (5.01): Mr Speaker, I thank the committee for their interim report today and for their efforts and the positive comments on the development of the joint venture proposal. There were a couple of issues that have been raised in the document that I can address right now. Paragraphs 4.7 and 4.8 of the committee's report urge the government to provide the Assembly with a copy of the status report which ACTEW has provided to the committee as well as the interim report of the probity auditor. It is certainly our view and the view of the probity auditor, Mr Marks, that this action would be inappropriate as these matters are still in progress and are yet to be finalised, or, for that matter, considered by the shareholders.

The Assembly is entitled, without any doubt, to a full and considered report when it is available, but aspects of the current status report could be considered, particularly at this stage, to have some commercial benefit to competitors as we do not actually have a sign-off at this stage. You would know what is in them, Mr Quinlan, as I do.

Mr Quinlan: I thought we had agreed with them that it would be quite okay to leave some of the commercial-in-confidence elements out of it.

MS CARNELL: What we are saying is that we do not have any problems.

Mr Quinlan: It is only trading processes.

MS CARNELL: We can have a chat about what should happen and what should not happen. We are certainly not in any way trying to hold back any information. It has already gone to the committee and to Mr Humphries and me as well. We are just responding to the probity auditor's view, and to the view of the intergovernmental committee. As shareholders, Mr Humphries and I are yet to receive or consider formal advice from ACTEW, the probity auditor or the committee chaired by the chief executive of the Chief Minister's Department on the detail of the proposed joint venture.

The reason for that is that the final detail is simply not there at this stage. These important issues are very complex and need to receive a great deal of really focused attention. The advice of various bodies is expected in the next couple of week. The reality, Mr Speaker, is that before we sit again that information will be available and will be able to be tabled in this place. I do not believe that that would cause any members of this Assembly a problem.

Paragraph 5.25 of the committee's report raises the issue of the application of additional capital repayments which may result from the establishment and gearing of a joint venture. Mr Quinlan has indicated that as a sell down, as a mortgage, or whatever. The position that the government has taken is that if the joint venture goes ahead-it certainly

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