Nick Minchin (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance and Administration) Share this | Hansard source

I must concede that Senator Murray came up with a novel approach of giving the government some five years in which to effect a sale. Through you, Madam Temporary Chairman Troeth, to Senator Murray: I certainly hope that we will have effected a sale in that time. As I said, it is the government’s clear intention that, if re-elected, a sale will take place in 2008. But, obviously, with respect to taxpayers and our obligations as a government, we would want to ensure that a sale took place in appropriate market circumstances. While that remains our current intention, I am not in a position to rule out the possibility that a sale, for some reason or another, might not occur in 2008. So I think it is rather arbitrary and rather odd for the parliament to set some arbitrary time frame. The parliament should properly consider the question of whether this business should remain in government hands and make a decision that it gives the executive the authority to sell the business and it should then be for the executive, with that authority, to determine the sale process. The executive is answerable to the people every three years. If a future parliament decides that, in the circumstances, the business has not been sold and that it wishes to repeal this act, then of course that is a matter for any future parliament. But we think it is inappropriate for this parliament to set some arbitrary time frame; therefore, with great respect to Senator Murray, we do not support his amendment.