Mr MALCOLM FRASER (WANNON, VICTORIA) (Prime Minister) - It was on the grounds that even though a special report to me had indicated no impropriety had occurred, the Government was determined to see that all people in Australia would know and understand that no impropriety had occurred. When there is a situation in which a senior officer of the Commonwealth Public Service who is closely involved in matters under discussion by that particular computer committee joins a firm that could become a successful tenderer relatively shortly before the tender is due to be awarded, obviously there is a situation which could give some cause for concern in the public mind. The Government was determined to pursue a course which would make it perfectly plain that there could be no cause for concern. I emphasise that it was not just a question of the Public Service or of the Government itself being convinced that there was no cause for concern: It was, in the Government's view, also a situation in which there needed to be complete certainty in everyone's mind that there was no cause for concern.

Because the Commonwealth Statistician was in some haste to get his computer, officials thought initially that it might be possible to ask the mainline tenderers whether they wanted to vary their tenders and to undertake a revision of the matter in that way. That course was relatively quickly put aside and the whole matter went back to taws. Tenders have been called again. I think there were three people on the computer committee. I should indicate in addition that the Department of Administrative Services had hitherto not been represented on that committee. The honourable gentleman will understand that that Department is the principal purchasing department for the Commonwealth and therefore in the Government's view ought to be involved in major government purchases. So the Department of Administrative Services henceforth will be permanently involved in the work of that committee as it relates to the purchasing of computers for Commonwealth purposes. In addition to that, on this occasion an independent expert will also be attached to the committee in the assessment of the tenders as they now come forward for the ultimate awarding of the contract. Only a short while ago I told my Department that I would expect the report from the committee, when it ultimately comes to us, to be one that could be tabled in the Parliament, if there were any necessity to do so, so that everyone would be able to see what the result is and what is the basis on which the final decision is made, when it is made.