Mrs HICKEY - 1996-10-16
Yesterday, the Chief Minister made great play about paying some of the expenses for his recent holiday at the Olympic Games in Atlanta. Why did he do it? If the Chief Minister believed sincerely that accepting this gift from Telstra would not compromise him in any way, and if he truly believed that it was all above board, why did he pay anything at all?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, I believed it to be above board, but I am not a freeloader. Of the some hundreds of people who were the guests of Telstra, I understand that 2 of us decided, quite independently of each other, that we would make a contribution. Given that my wife was included in the invitation, I thought it fair that I should make a contribution, and it was a significant contribution amounting to $6079.33.
Mrs Hickey: Why?
Mr STONE: I will tell you why. I thought it the decent thing to do. I am not a freeloader and I was happy to put my hand in my pocket. Members opposite have tried to talk this up as a $20 000 gift. They have no basis for citing that amount. In fact, I think the member for MacDonnell said yesterday that it was about $5000. Thus, it was discounted very dramatically in the course of the day. I have a sense of decency about all of this. It may surprise the Leader of the Opposition to learn that, when my wife accompanies me interstate, although I am entitled to put it on the taxpayers' tab, at times I do not. I pay for her because I have a particular view about when I should have my hand in my pocket. I wonder when the last time was that the Leader of the Opposition put her hand in her pocket.
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ANSWER
Mr Speaker, I believed it to be above board, but I am not a freeloader. Of the some hundreds of people who were the guests of Telstra, I understand that 2 of us decided, quite independently of each other, that we would make a contribution. Given that my wife was included in the invitation, I thought it fair that I should make a contribution, and it was a significant contribution amounting to $6079.33.
Mrs Hickey: Why?
Mr STONE: I will tell you why. I thought it the decent thing to do. I am not a freeloader and I was happy to put my hand in my pocket. Members opposite have tried to talk this up as a $20 000 gift. They have no basis for citing that amount. In fact, I think the member for MacDonnell said yesterday that it was about $5000. Thus, it was discounted very dramatically in the course of the day. I have a sense of decency about all of this. It may surprise the Leader of the Opposition to learn that, when my wife accompanies me interstate, although I am entitled to put it on the taxpayers' tab, at times I do not. I pay for her because I have a particular view about when I should have my hand in my pocket. I wonder when the last time was that the Leader of the Opposition put her hand in her pocket.
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Last updated: 09 Aug 2016