Tourism minister David Allen slammed the Opposition for hypocrisy after they questioned moves to build a super plush tourism centre with the help of sanction-busting businessman John Deuss.

He said the UBP didn't have clean hands on the issue of South Africa and that they had been secretive over plush government accommodation under their reign.

Earlier Shadow Tourism Minister David Dodwell had slammed the wall of silence from the Government after the story had hit the headlines.

He said of Mr. Allen: "He has the requirement to tell the country. He couldn't tell the country last week because he wasn't here.

"We didn't hear from him because he spent the weekend on a ship with five members of the Government. This is a sensitive issue.

"In the lead up to the election we heard the PLP was a Government in waiting.

"Now they are no longer a Government in waiting, they are a Government in hiding.

"They have an obligation to come out from under a rock and tell the country what went on.'' He said: "John Deuss must be squirming but they haven't said a word.'' But in a fiery speech David Allen said the UBP had a bad track record on similar issues.

He said: "They secretly maintained a mansion in Warwick for the Director of Tourism at the cost of $148,000. No one knew about it, not even the Finance Minister.'' "They have the audacity to pillory John Deuss.

But he said a former UBP minister, Charles Collis, had sat on the board of the biggest South African mining company during the apartheid years.

"He sat in their cabinet totally unashamed during the height of apartheid. A UBP Senator later called the ANC a terrorist organisation.'' And Mr. Allen rebutted charges that the PLP was wasting money on pointless overseas trips by pointing out that under the UBP government funding had gone on trips to New Zealand to look at middle schools.

He said: "Are there no middle schools in Canada, England or America so they have to go to New Zealand? "They have the audacity to come here and accuse the honourable Premier of wasting taxpayers' money.'' He said a UBP minister had flown to Hong Kong to personally interview four Vietnamese boat people and that the former Government had also wasted money on a trip to Japan to study an incinerator when an incinerator had already been bought. And Mr. Allen trashed newspaper stories on the Deuss affair which quoted anonymous businessmen angry at being asked to help fund a new $5 million tourism headquarters.

He said: "I am waiting for facts instead of scurrilous comments from uncorroborated sources. Just give me one name of somebody who said something.

"There is not one quote attributed to anyone with a name.'' The Tourism Minister slammed Mr. Dodwell for not apologising for saying the letter, asking businesses to fund the plan, had come from Government.

It later emerged that Mr. Deuss had written the letter.

He said: "At least the newspaper had the fortitude to say they were wrong.

But the Shadow Minister doesn't have the guts. He should be ashamed.'' Mr. Allen said it was unfair to suggest he and his PLP colleagues had played hooky from Parliament last week as the cruise ship didn't dock until 4.15 while functions had gone on until 6 p.m.

He said: "The House rose at 5.02 p.m. He didn't even take the trouble to phone up the shipping agency to find out when the ship docked. Show us your integrity, show us the facts.'' David Allen