Page 3337 - Week 09 - Wednesday, 19 August 2009
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law, I would urge the Leader of the Opposition, if he has any evidence that I or a member of my staff have in any way broken the law, to provide that evidence to the police.
Gaming—sale of Labor clubs
MR SMYTH: My question is to the Chief Minister and relates to the ministerial code of conduct. Chief Minister, the code of conduct says, in relation to ministerial obligation:
Ministers will uphold the laws of the Australian Capital Territory and Australia, and will not be a party to their breach, evasion, or subversion.
Chief Minister, you have admitted publicly that you sit on the admin committee of the Labor Party and voted for a motion that included an instruction to halt the sale of the Labor clubs. The president of the Labor club, in the Canberra Times on 30 July this year, said of this matter:
Under the Gaming Machine Act the board of directors of the Canberra Labor Club are required to be in control of the company at all times.
Chief Minister, how have you satisfied yourself that you have not been a party to the possible breach, evasion or subversion of the gaming act, given your involvement on the committee?
MR STANHOPE: I am absolutely sure that I have not broken the law. If Mr Smyth has any evidence that I may have broken the law, I would urge him to provide that evidence to ACT Policing.
MR SPEAKER: Mr Smyth, a supplementary question?
MR SMYTH: Thank you, Mr Speaker. Chief Minister, will you make a full disclosure to the Assembly, including the tabling of all relevant documents, to provide satisfaction to the Assembly that all of your actions have been appropriate in relation to this matter?
Mr Corbell: On a point of order, Mr Speaker: there is currently a question before the Assembly making that very request. I do not know whether Mr Smyth can raise that in question time, given that we are currently in the middle of a debate and that, in very many respects, pre-empts that debate and in fact duplicates the debate that is currently occurring in this place.
MR SPEAKER: Mr Corbell, I understand that the standing order you might have been thinking of has been removed, so there is no point of order.
MR STANHOPE: I am not aware of any documents in the possession of the government, other than the document which the Treasurer has provided to the racing and gaming commission, in relation to this matter. If there were any documents in the possession of the ACT government, or in the control of the ACT government, of course, I would give consideration to tabling them. But I know of none.
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