Mr BELL - 1996-10-15
Both the Chief Minister and the Minister for Education and Training hold directorships in family companies, but neither the Chief Minister nor the Minister for Education and Training lists the interests of those companies in their return of member's interests. I point out to honourable members that these companies may be trading in a way that provides a direct conflict of interest, but no one except the ministers themselves would be able to find that out.
Mr Stone: Will you name the companies? Name them please.
Mr BELL: I do not have the names of them ...
Mr Reed: You are just muckraking.
Mr BELL: ... off the top of my head. In the case of the Minister for Education and Training, it is Tamar Pty Ltd, and I think one of the Chief Minister's companies is Nockett Pty Ltd. Enilec Pty Ltd is another of them. There are 3 of them in your ...
Mr Stone: If you intend to make this allegation, name the companies.
Mr BELL: If that is of relevance, I would have thought the Chief Minister would have been aware of those.
Will the Chief Minister give an undertaking that both he and the Minister for Education and Training will list the interests of their companies by the close of parliamentary business tonight and, to preserve the integrity of the Territory parliament, will he act to introduce, as a matter of urgency, legislation to compel all members to spell out the interests their companies have?
Mr Ah Kit: What a good question.
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ANSWER
Mr Speaker, the member for Arnhem said that it is a good question yet, when I challenged the member for MacDonnell to name the companies, he said he did not know their names off the top of his head. Nevertheless, he stands up here while the proceedings are being broadcast publicly and asks if I have these companies and, if so, whether they have a beneficial interest. I can only assume that the member for MacDonnell cannot read a pecuniary interests form because, if he had read my declaration form, he would have seen absolute disclosure right down to the fine detail. Obviously, he has it there in front of him and I hope that he is reading it. He will see, listed there, a company called Decket Pty Ltd. Do you have Decket Pty Ltd listed on your form?
Mr BELL: A point of order Mr Speaker! If the Chief Minister is not aware of the names of the companies of which he is a director, I find that absolutely ...
Mr Manzie: He is answering you.
Mr Reed: You had the chance ...
Mr SPEAKER: Order! What is your point of order?
Mr BELL: My point of order is that the Chief Minister is misrepresenting the question.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! There is no point of order.
Mr STONE: My answer is that, in terms of my pecuniary interests form, the information given is complete, and it is there ...
Mr Bailey: No, it is not.
Mr STONE: The member for Wanguri interjects that it is not. This is the sort of muckraking that is put out for Territorians who are listening to this broadcast, although there is absolutely no substance to the allegations that are being made.
For the benefit of people who are listening, I have one investment company. It is called Decket Pty Ltd. It owns a berth at Cullen Bay which is rented out from time to time. That is the single, beneficial interest of any investment company that I have - a berth for a boat that I will own one day when I do not have to sit in here and listen to that lot over there, and I can go and do something useful with my life.
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Mr Stone: Will you name the companies? Name them please.
Mr BELL: I do not have the names of them ...
Mr Reed: You are just muckraking.
Mr BELL: ... off the top of my head. In the case of the Minister for Education and Training, it is Tamar Pty Ltd, and I think one of the Chief Minister's companies is Nockett Pty Ltd. Enilec Pty Ltd is another of them. There are 3 of them in your ...
Mr Stone: If you intend to make this allegation, name the companies.
Mr BELL: If that is of relevance, I would have thought the Chief Minister would have been aware of those.
Will the Chief Minister give an undertaking that both he and the Minister for Education and Training will list the interests of their companies by the close of parliamentary business tonight and, to preserve the integrity of the Territory parliament, will he act to introduce, as a matter of urgency, legislation to compel all members to spell out the interests their companies have?
Mr Ah Kit: What a good question.
Page 1683
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, the member for Arnhem said that it is a good question yet, when I challenged the member for MacDonnell to name the companies, he said he did not know their names off the top of his head. Nevertheless, he stands up here while the proceedings are being broadcast publicly and asks if I have these companies and, if so, whether they have a beneficial interest. I can only assume that the member for MacDonnell cannot read a pecuniary interests form because, if he had read my declaration form, he would have seen absolute disclosure right down to the fine detail. Obviously, he has it there in front of him and I hope that he is reading it. He will see, listed there, a company called Decket Pty Ltd. Do you have Decket Pty Ltd listed on your form?
Mr BELL: A point of order Mr Speaker! If the Chief Minister is not aware of the names of the companies of which he is a director, I find that absolutely ...
Mr Manzie: He is answering you.
Mr Reed: You had the chance ...
Mr SPEAKER: Order! What is your point of order?
Mr BELL: My point of order is that the Chief Minister is misrepresenting the question.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! There is no point of order.
Mr STONE: My answer is that, in terms of my pecuniary interests form, the information given is complete, and it is there ...
Mr Bailey: No, it is not.
Mr STONE: The member for Wanguri interjects that it is not. This is the sort of muckraking that is put out for Territorians who are listening to this broadcast, although there is absolutely no substance to the allegations that are being made.
For the benefit of people who are listening, I have one investment company. It is called Decket Pty Ltd. It owns a berth at Cullen Bay which is rented out from time to time. That is the single, beneficial interest of any investment company that I have - a berth for a boat that I will own one day when I do not have to sit in here and listen to that lot over there, and I can go and do something useful with my life.
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Last updated: 09 Aug 2016