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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2003 Week 13 Hansard (27 November) . . Page.. 4794 ..

MR QUINLAN (continuing):

of main undertakings of a territory-owned corporation; so, technically, this resolution is required.

I do have in front of me a little of the history of Totalcare which, unless members want to debate the point, I will skip over and just advise the house that the way forward in relation to Totalcare has been that an implementation team has been established, headed by the Department of Urban Services, consisting of members of the Chief Minister's Department, Treasury, the Department of Education, Youth and Family Services, and ACT Health, as well as various unions and Totalcare representatives.

The implementation team is undertaking a thorough due diligence process, including critically reviewing the operating requirements of the separate businesses pending transfer, including associated legal and financial issues, and reviewing the nature and the structure of the work force and associated industrial relations issues that need to be resolved. Any associated transitional or operational costs will be identified as part of the process and taken into consideration in the framing of the 2004 budget.

The government is now seeking the support of the Assembly to the resolution in order to provide certainty in negotiations with Totalcare's many staff and with suppliers and parties with which Totalcare has contracts. I commend to members of the Assembly the resolution under section 16 of the Territory Owned Corporations Act seeking the transfer of various undertakings of Totalcare to the territory.

MR CORNWELL (11.09): Mr Speaker, I appreciate that the Territory Owned Corporations Act requires the approval of the Assembly to be given for this transfer. I also note that the Treasurer has indicated that a potted history is available, if required. I am more interested in raising a few questions which, I trust, will be answered in due course in relation to this transfer. Although I have a statement of corporate intent from 1 July 2003 to 30 June 2006, it does not provide me with all the information that I would like.

Mr Quinlan: A question on notice would go well, Greg.

MR CORNWELL: Yes, that is a possibility, Mr Treasurer, but I am quite happy to put the questions down here and at some time in the future you might like to come back with the answers, because I think that this is an important matter.

For example, with the transfer of the Totalcare business units back to the government, will any assets remain with the Totalcare shell? If so, will they be converted into cash later or will they be otherwise disposed of? What is the time line for the movement of each of the Totalcare business units that remain-linen, sterilising, the roads business, facilities management and fleet? That is a matter of interest to all of us here. Will there be a cost to government of this transfer? What has been the cost to the ACT government of the provision of the implementation team to advise the government on the Totalcare transfer?

The next question might be a harder one to answer. What evidence is there to show that each business of Totalcare will be a viable operation after its transfer to the territory? Perhaps only time will tell on that one, but any evidence or information you can give would be appreciated. Will the Totalcare business units, after their transfer to the

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