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House of Assembly - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2009-04-07 Daily Xml
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Personal Explanation

CITI CENTRE BUILDING

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY (Port Adelaide—Deputy Premier, Treasurer, Minister for Industry and Trade, Minister for Federal/State Relations) (11:00): I seek leave to make a personal explanation.

Leave granted.

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: On the last sitting day (26 March) the Leader of the Opposition asked me a question in question time relating to the ownership of the Citi Centre Building. In my response to the question I stated that the advice I had was that the Commissioners of Charitable Funds owned the real estate and the government owned the building. It is with all humility and humbleness that I apologise wholeheartedly to the house for providing the house with incorrect and misleading information.

When I became aware of that, I point out that, as is my wont, I immediately sought to apologise to the house. Unfortunately, the house had been diligent in expediting its business and had risen. I approached the Deputy Leader of the Opposition to humbly apologise to her personally (and that, in itself, is a humbling experience) but, as I have always found in my life, when one is snookered and clearly unable to find a way to explain one's actions in a way that might somehow mitigate the embarrassment, just 'fess up. I did that to the deputy leader and in respect for her group, because she chose not to humiliate me any further by laughing at me, or anything like that, and accepted the apology.

I said, 'Feel free to go on and belt the crap out of me in the press the next day'—which, of course, they did. It was somehow reported that it was one of my most humbling moments in the parliament. I would say it was not. I have been embarrassed far greater in previous episodes in the parliament and, indeed, have apologised for far greater sins in the past. Having been a long-serving member of this parliament, I have seen many a minister in Liberal governments lose their job over the fact that they would rather tough their way out than 'fess up and give a simple apology. Apologising does not diminish a person; in my view, apologising only makes the person—hang on, that's not very humble, is it?

Members interjecting:

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: Going on, I went on to say—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: No, I have more to say in my personal explanation, because humbleness and error force me to say more. I apologise to the house for providing this information which I later discovered was incorrect. Might I add that my office checked my response during and after question time and received assurances that my answers were correct. However, on further investigation that afternoon, my office was subsequently advised that the initial information provided was incorrect. May I say that I take full responsibility for the error, under the Westminster system; I was wrong and I should not have said what I said but, in a very significant development—because I have never seen it before—a senior public servant, who was in part responsible for the transmission of the incorrect information, wrote me a personal letter to apologise because that person saw it as a failure of that person's professional conduct.

To be honest, I thought he was being harsh on himself. I was particularly proud of that officer, because he clearly accepted his responsibility and felt very sorry to have given misleading information to a minister of the Crown. That officer will remain nameless, because it is not his duty to be publicly debated. However, I think it was a very nice gesture, and I thank that officer for it. It in no way diminishes his standing in my eyes. In fact, it is quite the opposite: it enhances his standing in my eyes.

The reality is that we as a government are looking at a range of assets to sell in building assets. The Department of Treasury and Finance has established a unit, which is assessing all of the government buildings.

Mr WILLIAMS: I rise on a point of order, Mr Speaker. I think the minister has gone well beyond the realms of a personal explanation. I suggest that this is more akin to a ministerial statement and that the Hon. Mr Foley should be seeking leave to make a ministerial statement.

The SPEAKER: I think the Deputy Premier has now done what is required in terms of a personal explanation. If the Deputy Premier has other information to provide to the house, he might want to seek leave to make a ministerial statement. However, I will leave that to the Deputy Premier.

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