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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2004 Week 02 Hansard (Wednesday, 3 March 2004) . . Page.. 653 ..

is shown as “15/1/12/03”. Minister, did you sign this brief on 15 December 2003 or on 1 December 2003?

MS GALLAGHER: Given that you have all the documents, Mrs Burke, I would draw your attention to the handwritten comments on the back of that brief, which say, “I wrote comments on original brief which was faxed and has since been forwarded to the Chief Minister.” Okay? So there are two briefs: a faxed brief that I signed off on that day, the 11th, and I note that on the brief. In fact, dot point 4 says that I will forward comments on photocopied brief. So I did sign the brief off on the 11th. This is the formal brief that came to my office. The brief that I received on the 11th was a faxed document, which was exactly the same as this, exactly the same as the document that later appeared—

Mrs Burke: Where does the 11th come from?

MS GALLAGHER: On the day that I was notified. As you will know from your extensive reading of all of the matters to do with this issue, this brief was given to me on 11 December. That is the day I wrote to the Chief Minister. That is the day I wrote to Ms Hinton. That is the day that the Chief Minister referred it to the chief executive of chief minister’s. This brief, which is exactly the same as the one that appeared by fax, with the file reference number FS2003/1065, arrived formally in my office through the bag that comes to my office with these briefs in folders, and I have obviously signed it off on the 15th—that brief. I signed off the faxed brief, which is exactly the same as this brief, on the 11th. I am happy to provide you with a copy of that brief. It is exactly the same brief. I am happy to provide you with a copy of that faxed brief that I signed off.

In relating to the timing, I understand the fax was sent from the chief executive’s office at 10 past one on 11 December to my office. Our fax machine records it at 12.24 on the bottom of the fax, but it was not operating on daylight saving time, which is an hour different. So my understanding is that it reached the fax machine in my office at 1.24.

MRS BURKE: I have a supplementary question. I am still a little confused here. The dates confuse me here, and they would you.

Ms Gallagher: There is nothing confusing about it.

MRS BURKE: Well, Minister, it is quite clear—

Ms Gallagher: There is nothing confusing.

MRS BURKE: Why is it that the first date is clearly in the original date block 1 December 2003 and the 15th has been inserted alongside it. It is as if you originally signed it on the 15th but now you are saying that you signed it on the 11th. Can you explain?

MS GALLAGHER: I do not understand. I signed the brief—

Mrs Burke: I am happy to table the document.

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