GOVERNMENT WASTE

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS (14:38): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Regional Development a question on the subject of government waste.

Leave granted.

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS: Members would be aware that there are now almost 300 spin doctors and other ministerial advisers in ministers' offices at the moment. There are also hundreds of public relations experts, communications experts and media management experts embedded in government departments and agencies.

Members would also be aware that there has been, since the March 2010 election, significant criticism of both the public and media performance of many government ministers. The Liberal Party has been advised that the government itself has become so concerned about that and about the media performance of some ministers that the government has ordered some ministers to undergo professional media training from professional media training agencies.

The Liberal Party has received yet another leak from a source with access to confidential information at the highest levels of government. This information shows that the government has contracted a media training company called mediainsider, which is a company run by Mark Aiston, a sports reporter on Channel 10. On 12 August last year, at the State Administration Centre, minister Koutsantonis received four hours of professional media training—

An honourable member interjecting:

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS: I'm not sure whether driving instruction was included—from Mark Aiston 's company, mediainsider, at a cost of $2,000, plus GST. On the following day, minister Rau was ordered to take and took four hours of professional media training from Mark Aiston's company, on 13 August, as I said, at the State Administration Centre, at a cost of $2,000 plus GST.

When one goes to mediainsider's website which is, as I said, the company managed or run by Mr Aiston, part of the information there which outlines the media management packages and media training packages which are available is his commentary, which refers to the change of prime minister when Ms Gillard took over from Mr Rudd. The commentary on the website says:

Former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's goodbye speech was hard to watch, he was emotional and obviously extremely upset. Julia Gillard's speech was extraordinary. She was confident, humorous, honest, engaging, articulate and empathetic. She spoke as if she had been the PM for years. It was the perfect template for when YOU make YOUR presentation.

Then there is an advertisement for a media package, which follows, on the mediainsider website. The Liberal Party is also aware that there is significant concern at the senior levels of government about the media performance of the former leader, the Hon. Bernard Finnigan, when he was minister, and also the current leader, the Hon. Gail Gago. So, my questions are as follows:

1. Which agencies paid for the professional media training for minister Koutsantonis and minister Rau in August of last year? In particular, was it the ministers' own agencies, was it the Department of the Premier and Cabinet or was it the Premier's ministerial office budget that paid for them?

2. Has minister Gago been directed to receive professional media training since the March 2010 election? If so, what was the cost of the training and which particular department paid for it?

3. Did the former leader of the government in this chamber, the Hon. Bernard Finnigan, receive professional media training since the March 2010 election? If so, what was the cost and which particular agency paid for the cost?

4. Which other ministers in the current Rann government, since the March 2010 election, have received professional media training from mediainsider or any other professional media management company? What has been the cost of that particular media training and which agency, in each case, paid for that media training?

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Regional Development, Minister for Public Sector Management, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for Consumer Affairs, Minister for Government Enterprises, Minister for Gambling) (14:43): I thank the member for his question. Indeed, I am not surprised at the sort of pathetic calibre that the member stoops to. When people go into public life, it is not an unusual or surprising thing that they may attend training and other educational courses and programs to assist them to develop or hone the skills they might need in their public life.

I am absolutely sure that the Liberal opposition, when it was in government in particular, would have done exactly the same thing, so it would be very interesting to go back and ask the former Liberal government for their records in relation to media training. This is not an unusual thing, and I am quite confident that the former Liberal government would have done exactly the same thing.

It takes the Hon. Robert Lucas to try to read into this something evil and sinister, which is completely outrageous. As I said, it is not an unusual thing. The former Liberal government would have done it, and probably its members do it even in opposition to assist them to develop their skills. In relation to the training that the honourable member has referred to, any training that they have had or whether they have been directed—

The Hon. R.I. Lucas: Have you had any training—no: you?

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: The honourable member has asked me a number of questions relating to the Hon. Tom Koutsantonis and the Hon. Bernie Finnigan. He has asked me a series of questions and now that I am answering the question he is so frustrated that he does not now want to hear the answer about those other members. He does not want to hear the answer to that question, so he now wants to completely disrupt my answer so that I cannot answer that question about the members that he has named in this place.

He is not prepared to listen to the answer, but I will press on. In relation to the honourable members that he has referred to, other than myself, in relation to whether they have been directed to receive training from, what was it, mediainsider, or any other company, and how much they have spent, I, obviously, do not have those details. I will refer those questions to the relevant ministers in another place and they may be prepared to bring back a response.

In relation to myself, I was asked whether I had been directed to receive training since the March election, or whether I had received training. The answer is quite simple: no, I have not. Therefore, there was no expense incurred in that. Just in case the honourable member has trouble connecting the two: no, I was not directed (since the last election) to receive training, therefore, there was no cost in relation to that non-event.

As we see in this place, the honourable member comes in here and he puts people's names out; he makes allegations, snide allegations—

An honourable member: Snide.

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: Very snide allegations—and all sorts of innuendo of wrongdoing. Time and time again he comes in here with completely unsubstantiated allegations. He never tables any support for his allegations. He never presents any evidence, not an FOI or something that he has gained that he can get up and read out. No, not that, not even a dodgy document. He just stands up in this place and uses the names of honourable members and, as we know from the past, other members of the Public Service, besmirching their names with all sorts of snide innuendo, ruining people's reputations with completely unsubstantiated claims.

He has no supporting evidence and no documentation, and we know that time and time again he does that. It is despicable and cowardly behaviour, I have said that in this place before, as he cowers under the protection of these privileged walls. This place provides a privilege for us to be able to speak frankly and fearlessly, but there is an onus of responsibility relating to that privilege; that is, that we should not misuse that, and the Hon. Rob Lucas does that time and time again.