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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2003 Week 2 Hansard (5 March) . . Page.. 544 ..

MR CORBELL: I assume, as ACTION is a statutory authority, that the board did, Mr Speaker, but I will take the question on notice and provide the information to Mrs Dunne.

ACTION-procurement policy

MR STEFANIAK: My question is to Mr Quinlan, as the minister responsible for procurement policy. Minister, the ACT government, through the ACTION Authority, is currently seeking tenders for the supply of natural gas powered buses. The request for tenders specifies that the bus bodies must be built by a particular manufacturer, and specifies a preferred material. The procurement board has signed off on this request for tender despite the fact that it appears to be inconsistent with the government's own guidelines. Why has the procurement board signed off on what is a highly irregular request for tender?

MR QUINLAN: That is a question that I will have to take on notice, because of the way it is couched. I do not know that it is necessarily highly irregular. There are, of course, commonsense provisions within procurement guidelines that allow for restricted tenders, short-listed tenders or single-select tenders for good and solid reasons. We will find out what they are. It is probably a question that is more appropriately placed on notice and I will take it as such.

MR STEFANIAK: While you are doing that, are you prepared to step in and postpone the request for tender, which closes tomorrow-so you are going to have to be quick if you are taking it on notice-to ensure that it does comply with the government's own procurement guidelines?

MR QUINLAN: Not unless I get some good reason for doing so, Mr Stefaniak. If a single-select tender has been called, I am sure that the reasons for doing so are on the record. If the reasons look satisfactory to me, then so be it. As you are probably aware, I do not actually go through every tender. Sorry about that.

Mr Stefaniak: It is apparently the only time in Australia that a specific company has been named, Ted.

MR QUINLAN: I do not know anything about it.

Mr Stefaniak: Try guideline number eight.

ActewAGL-greenhouse gas information

MS DUNDAS: Treasurer, in May 2002 this Assembly unanimously passed a motion calling on the government to ask ActewAGL to put greenhouse gas emissions information on electricity bills. Would you inform the Assembly what progress has been made towards this goal and when we can expect to see our first power bills containing this information?

MR QUINLAN: That is another question that I will have to take on notice. I have not kept my finger on that green pulse, I am sorry, but I will let you know what progress has

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