QLD:Cartoon code names normal says Bligh

AAP General News (Australia)
08-03-2010
QLD:Cartoon code names normal says Bligh

By Jessica Marszalek

BRISBANE, Aug 3 AAP - The Queensland government's use of cartoon code names to refer
to public assets up for sale is normal practice and not an attempt to avoid scrutiny,
Premier Anna Bligh says.

The Opposition revealed in June that government officials had been told to refer to
the assets by using "toon town" code names.

Queensland Rail was called "Thomas", "Popeye" referred to the Port of Brisbane, "Road
Runner" was for Queensland Motorways and Queensland Forestry was dubbed "Tarzan".

The Opposition accused the government of using the names in a bid to beat right-to-information
(RTI) requests.

Deputy Opposition Leader Lawrence Springborg on Tuesday tabled documents uncovered
in an RTI search that showed public servants were asked to use the names as project names
to protect confidentiality.

He said the names were not necessary and accused the government of "deceit, dishonesty
and cover-up".

"Given that such contracts always have in-built confidentiality clauses without code
names, will the premier finally admit that these code names were concocted to avoid public
scrutiny of her asset sale program?" Mr Springborg said.

But Ms Bligh said there was no cover-up.

"It is very common for Treasury, when dealing in commercial transactions, to give code
names and passwords to ensure that documents and the commercial interests of the third
parties that the government is dealing with are adequately protected," she told parliament.

She said the fact that Mr Springborg could find out about the code names showed they
were not secret.

AAP jmm/pjo/scj

KEYWORD: ASSETS

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