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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 8 Hansard (30 August) . . Page.. 2636 ..

MR HUMPHRIES (continuing):

At the time that Mr Corbell's committee sought the tabling of documents, or papers, by the government in relation to the ovals-ovals that were to be released from the Department of Education and Community Services-the emails referred to were not on the relevant department's file. So when the document was-

Mr Corbell: This is brilliant.

MR HUMPHRIES: Sorry, it is true-they were not.

Mr Stanhope: It is disgraceful.

MR HUMPHRIES: I am sorry, it might be disgraceful but it is true. The only document that was on the file at the time was the document that was provided to the committee on 23 June.

I might remind members that the request for the documents concerned was in a letter by Mr Corbell to me dated 22 June, and it was requested that the documents be supplied to the committee by 2 p.m. the following day, Friday 23 June. In the circumstances, although I regret the fact that the department did not pick up that there were emails as well, I do not really blame them for not picking up in the space of just the few hours that there were also emails that had to be, technically, included in the matter. I might point out that what Mr Corbell's committee asked for were papers rather than documents.

Those documents were supplied as a result of Mr Corbell's FOI request. He has those documents now. I suspect that in future, if a complete search of available documents of whatever kind is required, it might be helpful if a little more than 24 hours notice were given to produce them.

Mr Stanhope: Did you tell the committee you did not do a complete search?

MR HUMPHRIES: I did not know at the time.

MR SPEAKER: Supplementary, Mr Corbell?

Mr Stanhope: Or you did not know-

MR SPEAKER: Mr Stanhope, would you stop interjecting.

MR CORBELL: That was an extraordinary answer, Mr Speaker. My supplementary is this: the Treasurer has indicated that the documents that were not supplied were email documents. How then does he explain this document, dated 22 February this year: a written minute to Mr Lincoln Hawkins, the Executive Director of Planning and Land Management, from Ms Julie McKinnon, the executive director in one area of his department, identifying low maintenance ovals as studies for infill sites?

MR HUMPHRIES: Mr Speaker, I have supplied all the documents that I was advised were on the file at the time.

Mr Quinlan: Yes, Minister.

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