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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 12 Hansard (5 December) . . Page.. 3664 ..
MS CARNELL (continuing):
that there is a defined number of member - elected directors on boards. At least that gives some transparency to the process, if not as much as I would determine to be appropriate.
MR OSBORNE (4.58): Mr Speaker. I have found this issue quite a tempting one, and one that I have given a lot of thought to. I have to say, though, that I think that when clubs are set up by different organisations I have no problem with them maintaining control in some way or another. I found this to be quite an interesting proposal and one that I gave a lot of thought to.
There obviously has been a lot of discussion about the make - up of some boards around here. I can talk about one club that I have some experience of, and that's West Belconnen, where there was a proposal put up from the floor at the last AGM, which was only a month or so ago, to increase the membership of the board. The total number of the board out there at the moment is seven, and a proposal was put up from the floor to increase it to a total of 9, of which 5 would come from the floor, which in effect would do what the government wants to do. So there are options within a lot of constitutions in the clubs around the ACT which have that provision. That is the only instance that I can recall, certainly within the last few years, and from what has been reported to me, about there being this groundswell of members being unhappy about the direction of a club.
One of the other clubs that have been talked about is the Tradies, where the complete make - up of the board comes from the CFMEU. I suppose that was of some concern to me until I heard Mr Humphries quote some of the figures about what some of the clubs are doing, and the leading club in relation to contributions to charities was the one that most people in here seemed to be concerned about.
Mr Humphries: The leading one I quoted.
MR OSBORNE: What's that?
Mr Humphries: There are others who are doing better than they are.
Ms Carnell: Except that they are turning over $22 million on poker machines alone, through one club.
At 5.00 pm, in accordance with standing order 34, the debate was interrupted. The motion for the adjournment of the Assembly having been put and negatived, the debate was resumed.
MR OSBORNE: Mrs Carnell interjected and said that they turn over $22 million a year through one club.
Ms Carnell: On poker machines alone, not the rest.
MR OSBORNE: On poker machines. Even so, their contribution back to the community is four times above what the government is seeking through this legislation. Look, I am open - minded about it and I am quite happy to revisit the issue next year. At this stage I am quite happy to leave the status quo in place.
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