Questions Day 2 - Wednesday 27 November 1996
Parliamentary Record 29
Questions for 7th Assembly 1994 - 1997; ParliamentNT; Parliamentary Record; 7th Assembly 1994 - 1997
1996-11-27
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Questions
Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory
Darwin
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QUESTIONS - Wednesday 27 November 1996 Mr FINCH: The buck probably does stop with the minister. I am not sure who actually provided the tape, but I assume it is cxactly the same as the one I have in my office. The one I have in my officc is one obtained, through Channel 8, from Channel 9 - 1 assume in Sydney. The tape is totally untouched since it arrived through Channel 8. It starts off: NTD8 record for ACA [A Current Affair] story, attention M. Park. It finishes at an advertisement. At that point, the tape, as sent from Channel 9, states: End of feed, end of feed, end of feed. Check tape. In other words, it is a completely intact tape as provided from A Current Affair through Channel 8 to whomever requested it. Whether it was TCA or the government, I do not know. That is where the matter ended. The honourable members arc suggesting all manner of tampering and interference. The tape was not touchcd. It is in my officc if anyone cares to look at it. It is exactly as it was received. Quite dearly, the tape is what was provided from A Current Affair. The honourable members referred to its being only half the story. The other 3 or 4 minutes of the program continued after the advertisement, and it went on with some of the same concerns about the CFMEU, and finished with a little note by Mr Ferguson, on behalf of the CFMEU, saying that that was not exactly what the CFMEU was like at all. In not taking the tape into account in any way whatsoever, as he indicated in his report, the commissioner has led us and, of course, TCA to examine whether we should appeal the decision. As for waste of public money, I refute that suggestion. The private sector and government construction program in the Northern Territory is worth almost $500m. On the basis of cost implications interstate, it is threatened with a 30% surcharge. We will not wear $150m more per year by having practices by this union that are now recorded interstate. We will not have them in the Territory. If we arc spending $20 000, $50 000 or even $100 000, it could not be called a waste of money. 1848