Page 3985 - Week 11 - Tuesday, 15 Sept 2009
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The government structures to support the management of statutory authorities and TOCs are robust, contemporary and consistent with best practice in other jurisdictions. To argue any other way is to ignore the facts and the reforms that have been implemented by this government over the last seven years.
I look forward to listening to Mr Smyth respond to all of the concerns that have been raised about his role in Totalcare and why, when he was in charge of Totalcare, there were no dividends paid, accumulated losses were in excess of $21 million, net assets fell and the quarry joint venture was wound up with multimillion dollar losses. Congratulations, Mr Smyth. Good on you!
MR SESELJA (Molonglo—Leader of the Opposition) (3.44): I suppose it is not surprising that the Treasurer does not want to talk about Rhodium. She did actually have five minutes left in her speech. I think Mr Doszpot covered all the issues, whereas Ms Gallagher said she would love to talk about Rhodium, if only she had the time. She did not talk much about the blow-out in the cost of the Cotter Dam. She did not talk much about this quarter of a billion dollar—
Mr Hanson: Is it an estimate or a final cost?
Ms Gallagher: What don’t you understand about an estimate and a final cost, Jeremy? I don’t get it.
MADAM ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Ms Le Couteur): Ms Gallagher, could you please let Mr Seselja speak?
Ms Gallagher: I am responding to Mr Hanson’s constant interjections.
MADAM ASSISTANT SPEAKER: Mr Seselja.
MR SESELJA: Thank you, Madam Assistant Speaker. I appreciate it is sometimes a challenge to hear yourself in this place, let me tell you. She did not want to talk about the Cotter Dam and we know why she did not want to talk about the Cotter Dam. We are seeing a quarter of a billion dollar blow-out in the cost of this project to date. A quarter of a billion dollar blow-out in the cost of this project to date is what we have from this government.
It is worth looking at their attitude to territory-owned corporations. It seems that they, on the one hand, are very happy to claim what they do that is good for themselves and, indeed, when there are failures, it is someone else’s fault. That has been the modus operandi of this government for a long time, and nowhere more so than in the area of Actew and in the area of water. I will get to the Cotter Dam.
But we have also seen a culture of secrecy under this minister where she will not disclose basic details. She will not disclose to the Assembly basic details about the cost of remuneration of executives in Actew. And that is a snapshot of the attitude of this government; it is secret about that; and it seems that there is a lot of secrecy that tends to surround the goings on and the cost blow-outs which we have seen and which have, indeed, been revealed. There is a culture of complacency and secrecy from this minister.
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