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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 8 Hansard (31 August) . . Page.. 2745 ..

MS CARNELL: We agree that the filing system right across government is really not up to modern standards, and that is the reason why we are out in the market at the moment for a new document management system that overcomes those problems. So we haven't accepted that scenario; we are fixing it.

MR SPEAKER: Thank you. I hope we deal with the phones as well.

Bruce Stadium-Olympic Football

MR KAINE: Mr Speaker, my question without notice is to the Chief Minister and it relates to the events that may or may not occur in Canberra within a couple of weeks time, the Olympics. Chief Minister, as minister responsible for tourism, you will know that many of our accommodation houses in Canberra have accepted large block bookings of accommodation as a result of the constant urgings of CTEC, for which you are responsible, and that has been on the basis that we are going to have this huge influx of people for the games. In doing so, of course, they have denied themselves other possible business opportunities.

As the minister responsible, you will also be aware, I am sure, that in the last couple of days there has been some real concern expressed by some of our accommodation houses because of reported significant cancellations of block bookings of accommodation. I am sure that you are as aware of that as I am. It is obvious why this has occurred. It is because of the utter fiasco that the Bruce Stadium has become under your management, and the real possibility that some or even all of the Olympic soccer matches planned for Bruce will be moved to Sydney or elsewhere. Whichever way you look at it, you cannot spray paint over that unpleasant fact.

Chief Minister, given that these local businesses stand to suffer commercially as a direct result of the incompetence of your government, will you give an undertaking that, just as you will refund the money that people have paid to get tickets, you will also compensate these business houses for the loss of business?

MR SPEAKER: This is a hypothetical question.

MS CARNELL: Mr Speaker, the Olympic soccer will be in Canberra, starting on 13 September.

MR KAINE: I take it from the short response that was completely un-thought through by the Chief Minister, which is quite typical-

MR SPEAKER: Do you have a supplementary question?

MR KAINE: I can take this as being yet another response in the saga of the progress of the Carnell clever, caring, government.

Mr Humphries: Is this a preamble, Mr Speaker?

MR SPEAKER: I said supplementary question. There is no question.

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