Page 4699 - Week 12 - Thursday, 1 November 2018

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MR COE: Ms Berry just said that we should not have any visibility of these purchases. That goes to the very problem with this government. They think they can go and purchase buildings, purchase properties, for millions of dollars and not have any scrutiny about the acquisitions.

We are not looking to go and publish the addresses of public housing properties, but Ms Berry is very late to the party here and this is indicative of the problems that we have had in dealing with the Labor Party on this issue. We have no interest whatsoever in publishing the addresses of public housing properties. But if you are going to go out and purchase properties for half a million dollars or a million dollars, it should be scrutinised. There should be some visibility.

At the moment there could be hundreds of purchases made each year, perhaps $100 million a year, that nobody has any scrutiny of. How do we know that they are paying the right amounts for these properties? How do we know that there are not some properties where they are paying $50,000 or $100,000 too much? Somebody has to scrutinise this.

The fact that Ms Berry thinks that that is somehow inappropriate begs the question as to why she has just supported all the other amendments. I do not know why she is nodding her head and then shaking her head about the same issue. It is bizarre. It shows either a complete lack of knowledge about this issue or a complete unwillingness to actually accept any scrutiny on government expenditure. One way or another, it shows a stark level of incompetence within the ministry.

MR GENTLEMAN (Brindabella—Minister for the Environment and Heritage, Minister for Planning and Land Management, Minister for Police and Emergency Services and Minister assisting the Chief Minister on Advanced Technology and Space Industries) (5.20): I want to simply respond to Mr Coe’s comments on this amendment. At the very beginning of the detail stage, I outlined the government’s commitment to the principles of openness and transparency. It is well established in its culture and its operations, and it is reflected here today by our willingness to support Mr Coe’s bill with some amendments.

Amendments agreed to.

MR COE (Yerrabi—Leader of the Opposition) (5.22): The opposition very much prefers the amendment that I will be moving in the event that Mr Gentleman’s is defeated. The opposition will be supporting our alternative, 8(2).

The government’s amendment seeks to exclude reporting on compensation for certain acquisitions under the Lands Acquisitions Act with provision to update reports. We

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