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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 8 Hansard (31 August) . . Page.. 2726 ..

MR HUMPHRIES (continuing):

If we were going to target community organisations that criticised the way government programs are administered, we would not have very many community organisations that we actually had to deal with. Everybody has some concerns at some point or other, and we are big enough to be able to take those comments and criticisms and disagreements in our stride. The fact remains that the only case of an organisation being threatened with de-funding by a government of the ACT, where the organisation was actually named, was a case that related to the former Labor government when it threatened to de-fund the AIDS Action Council of the ACT if it took a public position in support of legislation which Mr Moore, as an Independent, had introduced into this place in relation to cannabis. That is the only occasion where anyone has been able to name an organisation which was supposed to have been threatened with its funding.

Mr Kaine: You have a short memory, Minister.

Mr Stanhope: You have a short memory, old son, and a self-serving one. We have been Gary-ed again.

Mr Quinlan: Of all the people in the place to be making these statements!

MR HUMPHRIES: I am open to correction. The debate will continue. I am open to correction on that. Tell me the other organisations that I have overlooked.

Mr Kaine: In one case the chief executive officer resigned to remove the problem for the organisation. It was a threat that your government made that led to that CEO's resignation.

MR HUMPHRIES: Which organisation, Mr Kaine?

Mr Berry: I will be up in a minute, and I will tell you.

MR HUMPHRIES: Well, name it.

Mr Kaine: I am not going to name the organisation any more than you are. But you have a very short memory when you say there is only one case.

Mr Stanhope: Everybody in Canberra knows that.

MR HUMPHRIES: I repeat my comment, and I invite someone to tell me where this is inaccurate. Only one organisation, in this place or publicly, has been named.

Mr Kaine: Wrong.

MR HUMPHRIES: Which organisation was it, Mr Kaine? Which organisation was it?

Mr Kaine: If you do not know, then you are deficient and defective in your duty.

MR HUMPHRIES: If it has been named already in this place, why not name it again now? I am sorry, my memory is deficient; I cannot recall that organisation being named. I invite someone to tell me which organisation it was.

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