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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 12 Hansard (5 December) . . Page.. 3617 ..

MR BERRY (continuing):

We heard Michael Moore on the subject of conflict of interest. Mr Moore was not interested in a conflict of interest when the former Chief Minister and he supported legislation to increase the value of pharmacies by way of a transfer of the methadone program. You were blind to the fact that it was a conflict of interest for the former health minister to increase the value of her pharmacy because of a potential increase in throughput from a transfer of government contracts to the pharmacy by way of the methadone program. You could not see that that was a conflict of interest. You cannot see, Mr Moore, the conflict of interest in the FAI donation to the Liberal Party and the massive tax waivers that FAI were given. You could not see, Mr Moore, the conflict of interest in the massive $11 million tax waivers to Rio Tinto when the Chief Minister holds shares in that particular organisation. You are blind to that conflict of interest.

MR SPEAKER: I think we had better get back to some relevancy here.

MR BERRY: Mr Berry, you are blind to the conflict of interest -

MR SPEAKER: The Gaming Machine Amendment Bill is being discussed, Mr Berry.

MR BERRY: Mr Speaker, you allowed debate on the issue of conflict of interest, and I want to say a few things on it as well. I am sure you will be even - handed on the matter. You are blind, Mr Moore, to the conflict of interest which emerged around donations from the AHA to you to prepare legislation so that people could be encouraged to smoke in licensed premises. Shame on you, health minister. Shame on you for not recognising the conflict of interest, seeing that you are being so self - righteous.

Mr Moore: I take a point of order, Mr Speaker. Mr Berry is in great danger. In fact, it is my perception that he has misled the house two or three times in this area. I hope he is able to support these assertions with some backup. I do not think he can.

MR BERRY: Or otherwise you will move to censure me. Being censured by the Liberals is a badge of honour in this place, mate. There is another one, Mr Moore. What about the time when the National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health had a funding fall - off because the Commonwealth had not funded them, and you, in conjunction with the centre, were asking the then Labor government for additional funding? Do you remember that? This was when you were studying for your degree in population health.

MR SPEAKER: Mr Berry, would you mind coming back to the bill. I do not understand the relevance of this.

MR BERRY: This is about conflict of interest. This is when you were studying for your degree in population health, Mr Moore. Do you remember saying to one of my staff members in the course of lobbying for these extra funds, "This is my future"? No, we forgot about that. Anything you say on conflict of interest, Mr Moore, you can forget. Everybody should forget, because you have no credibility. You have only one eye on the subject, and the one eye is directed at the Labor Party. That is what it is about. It is also about your failure in this place to achieve the level of support you will need next time to get elected. The Labor Party does not have that problem.

MR SPEAKER: Relevance.

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