Crispin Hull

The ACT Government was aware that the principals of an auctioneering company that went into liquidation owing the ACT thousands were seeking auctioneer’s licences but had not objected.

The Chief Minister, Rosemary Follett, told the Legislative Assembly yesterday that the ACT Government had not made representations to the court about the suitability of the two men, who were directors of Sale-O, trading as Australian Capital Auctioneers, which was the authorised government auctioneer in the ACT and conducted auctions of federal and ACT government cars, furniture, computers and other items. (The cases have been adjourned until October following other objections.)
Continue reading “1993_08_august_auct27”

The liquidator of the authorised government auctioneer in the ACT said the company’s $1.1 million debt could not have been run up in ordinary trade, the ACT Magistrates’ Court was told yesterday.

The court was told of a burglary in which documents were stolen making it difficult for the liquidator to find out how much was owed to whom.

Magistrate Peter Dingwall adjourned applications for auctioneers licences by two former directors of the company, pending reports from the ACT Commissioner of Police.
Continue reading “1993_08_august_auct25”

The Department of Administrative Services called for expressions of interest yesterday for the position of auctioneer for the disposal of government fleet vehicles.

The previous auctioneer, Sale-O Pty Ltd, trading as Australian Capital Auctions, went into liquidation owing more than $1 million, most of it to the Federal Government and some to the ACT Government.

The department expects to call for expressions of interest for the disposal of miscellaneous items in the next few weeks.
Continue reading “1993_08_august_auct22”

Please try to give reasonable prominence beyond the face value of this story…. beneath all this there is govt corruption which will take time to weed out. what is here is as close as I can go at present.

A principal of a Canberra auctioneering company which went into liquidation owing at least $1.1 million, is seeking an ACT auctioneer’s licence.

Colin Lappa, of Dubbo, is one of two shareholders of Sale-O Pty, which traded as Australian Capital Auctioneers. He has a NSW auctioneer’s licence. His application for an ACT licence is being objected to.
Continue reading “1993_08_august_auct12”

The collapse of the authorised government auctioneer in the ACT, Sale-O Pty Ltd, trading as Australian Capital Auctions, had been referred to the fraud squad and the Australian Securities Commission, the Senate has been told.

The general-manager of DASFLEET, Mr S. Palywoda, told Senator Minchin (Lib, SA) in estimates hearings last week that the contract had been let after very extensive checks, both financially and through referees.

The Department of Administrative Services had instructed the Australian Government Solicitor to commence legal proceedings to recover the moneys.
Continue reading “1993_08_august_auct1”

The trouble is not the Westminster system in the ACT Legislative Assembly, as Kate Carnell suggests. The trouble is the calibre and actions of the people who have been elected to run it. True, it has improved since the first self-government election, but the letters, talk-back, opinion polls (though there have been no recent ones) and public meetings suggest there is little confidence in the people running the show.

This is not peculiar to the ACT. Indeed, one MLA cynically pointed out despite their much larger Parliaments, NSW and Victoria still have difficulty putting together a government of people you could trust to run a modest business, a medium-sized charity or a bush hospital, let alone a department of state.

The trouble in the ACT is that with only 17 members, even if our drongo-to-competent ratio is better than elsewhere, we still have a tiny number of people who can be trusted to put together policies and get a department to implement them.
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ACTION was becoming more efficient, the Minister for Urban Services, Terry Connolly, told the Legislative Assembly said yesterday.

In answer to Ellnor Grassby (Lab) he said that ACTION’s ratio of employees to vehicles was the second lowest in Australia, he said. Liberal members interjected: but how many vehicles have you got?

Mr Connolly said ACTION had exceeded it target in reducing its deficit, and its per head subsidy was $167 per head, less than Sydney and Melbourne. Its cost recovery would improve from 22.4 per cent last year to 24 per cent this year.
Continue reading “1993_08_august_assbf19”

Behind the familiar gold-tiled columns of the South Building in Civic Square unbeknowns to many people in Canberra, the new ACT Legislative Assembly is under construction.

It is almost half-way through. The new $12.7 million Assembly is expected to be ready for occupation in February and the MLAs and their many support staff can move out of the present building in the ACT Administration Centre which costs $2 million a year to rent.

The Speaker, Roberta McRae, led some tours of the building yesterday _ the builders’ rostered day off.
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People who get injured at sport or being hit by vehicles from skateboards to trucks would no longer be eligible for criminal-injuries compensation under legislation introduced in the ACT Legislative Assembly yesterday.

The Attorney-General, Terry Connolly, said yesterday that the purpose of criminal-injuries was to compensate against violent crime. It was not for sports injuries or people being hit by cycles, as the Supreme Court had found in recent cases.

The new legislation would enable the Minister to declare categories of events that were not compensible, subject to disallowance. Cars, skateboards, sport and dog bites would not be compensible; these sorts of matters were better treated with insurance, civil damages or social security.
Continue reading “1993_08_august_ass27”

Poker machine bets of up $10 a time will be allowed up laws passed by the ACT Legislative Assembly yesterday.

The law will permit linked jackpots with other clubs, to provide bigger jackpots and will permit clubs to increase the percentage of turnover on average paid out to players.

The Chief Minister, Rosemary Follett, said the new rules would make clubs more competitive with NSW. The law would contain new anti-corruption provisions.
Continue reading “1993_08_august_ass20”