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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2002 Week 14 Hansard (12 December) . . Page.. 4405 ..

MR QUINLAN (continuing):

I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate WetPC's Managing Director, Peter Moran, and his team on the development of a great opportunity to build business linkages and form collaborative arrangements between ACT knowledge-based small business, the US and Asian markets.

MS MacDONALD: Mr Speaker, I wish to ask a supplementary question. Minister, that sounds like great news from this government. Can you inform the Assembly if WetPC satisfies the criteria for support under the government's innovative knowledge fund?

MR QUINLAN: Yes, I can. In fact, WetPC is a recent grant recipient of the knowledge fund and I am delighted that the aims and visions of the fund are being demonstrated through the signing of this sub-licence agreement. WetPC received $85,000 in the first round of grant offers from the fund.

The ACT government is committed to providing quality services and programs to assist businesses to reach their potential and to develop and grow through the exploitation of knowledge. The knowledge fund is one such innovative program we have introduced to assist businesses to develop and commercialise products and services in knowledge-based industries.

There is no doubt that the ACT is the birthplace and home of many innovative and smart businesses, and the government is working on building our base in an entrepreneurial and commercial capacity to exploit the significant innovation that occurs in the ACT. The ACT looks forward to WetPC realising the potential that will come from the signing of the sub-licence agreement with OHAI Technologies.

Mr Stefaniak: Well done.

MR SPEAKER: Mr Stefaniak, will you desist. That is the second time-applause is just not allowed in the Assembly.

Mr Stefaniak: Certainly, Mr Speaker. My apologies.

Qualification of financial statements by Auditor-General

MR STEFANIAK: My question is to the minister for housing, Mr Wood. Given the findings of the Auditor-General's Report No 7 of 2002, do you still believe, as you stated in this place on 30 June 1999, that a "failure to seek and secure appropriation"is a "most serious breach"and "a failure to act within the law"?

MR WOOD: "A failure to seek and secure appropriation"-I am not sure that is all that immediately relevant to this issue. As I understand it, the appropriation had been made and we were accessing that appropriation.

MR STEFANIAK: Mr Speaker, I ask a supplementary question. Minister, on what date did you become aware of the urgent need for $10 million for fire safety maintenance for public housing, and was this unexpected?

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