Page 3494 - Week 11 - Thursday, 15 November 2007
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and fine, but I will not be telling her how the Liberal Party’s negotiations went when we were in government.
I congratulate the Chief Minister on achieving something that the Liberal Party and I have considered to be an absolutely vital element of our participation in Australian society, on one of the most crucial issues confronting Australia. In the Australian environment debate, this is an important milestone. I congratulate the Chief Minister on his work in this regard, and I am glad to see this matter coming to fruition at last.
MR STANHOPE (Ginninderra—Chief Minister, Treasurer, Minister for Business and Economic Development, Minister for Indigenous Affairs, Minister for the Environment, Water and Climate Change, Minister for the Arts) (5.01):Before I close the debate, Mr Deputy Speaker, is it appropriate for me to take the opportunity to clarify a statement that I made in a previous debate, this being the first available opportunity?
MR DEPUTY SPEAKER: If it is in relation to the debate, that is okay, Chief Minister.
MR STANHOPE: It has been drawn to my attention by Dr Foskey’s office that I misled the Assembly—and I will take in good faith that particular claim—in making a claim about funds provided to Ms Kerrie Tucker for her campaign. I stated in an earlier debate that it was my understanding and belief that funds provided to Ms Kerrie Tucker for her campaign were provided to her from the Tradies Club, by the CFMEU. Dr Foskey’s office has assured me that the moneys, whilst sourced from the CFMEU, were not provided from poker machine revenue; they were from some other source of funding which the CFMEU has. Whilst the funds were provided by the owners of the Tradies Club, they were not provided to Ms Tucker, it appears. I have no reason to disbelieve Dr Foskey or her office that Kerrie Tucker and we can all sleep soundly, knowing that the Greens have not received a single filthy lucre from poker machines, and that that is the position. Whilst the money was received from the owners of the Tradies Club, the owners of the Tradies Club had apparently taken exceptional care to ensure that it did not come from that tainted bucket. So I apologise for having misled the Assembly about the source of those funds.
Mrs Dunne: On a point of order, Mr Speaker: while the Chief Minister should come into this place and correct the record at the first opportunity, he probably should have done so between items of business rather than before he closed the debate.
MR DEPUTY SPEAKER: I do not think that is quite a point of order. Chief Minister, you are now going to close the debate.
MR STANHOPE: I thank members for their contribution to this debate. It is an important piece of legislation. It is a piece of machinery legislation which is required to formalise the accession by the Australian Capital Territory to the Murray-Darling Basin agreement. Previous speakers have provided a fairly full explanation of the nature of the relationship. Mrs Dunne quite rightly pointed out that it came about through the intercession of the then Chief Minister, Ms Carnell, and the then minister for the environment, Gary Humphries. Mrs Dunne, as an adviser in that office at the time, alluded to her participation in the initial acceptance of the ACT as a non-formal, non-voting member of the Murray-Darling Basin. I acknowledge that history.
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