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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2)
2021-09-08 Daily Xml
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Minister for Infrastructure and Transport

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS (West Torrens) (14:08): My question is to the Minister for Transport and Infrastructure. Did the minister mislead parliament yesterday in response to a question regarding his knowledge of allegations by his staff of fraudulently submitting time sheets in his EO? With your leave, sir, and that of the house, I will explain.

Leave granted.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Yesterday in parliament, in response to a question which I asked of him, and I quote:

Have any members of his electorate office staff ever alleged with the minister that hours worked by Ms Tui Comas were being fraudulently recorded on time sheets submitted to the Department of Treasury and Finance for payment for hours and days Ms Comas had not worked?

the minister responded: 'Not to my knowledge, no.' The opposition is in receipt of a letter dated 5 January 2018 sent to the minister and Electorate Services, and I quote:

…in April 2017 after I first raised concerns in relation to your decision to make an offer of employment to one of your family members Mrs Tui Comas. Your behaviour towards me became increasingly intolerable after I subsequently refused to be a party to the dishonest practice of recording her time in a manner that did not accurately reflect the hours that she worked, including occasions when she did not work at all.

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD (Gibson—Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing) (14:09): I thank the member for the question, and I did answer yesterday and say that I had no recollection of that. I am happy to see that. What I will say and what I did say yesterday was for every hour that every staff member has worked in my office it has been accounted for. I can't be any clearer than that.

I think that the member was referring to—and he said the date there and I will check the dates again. It was some almost four years ago, from memory. Across that time, I have had a lot of people work for my electoral office, people who have gone over and above and done a heck of a lot of work, and I think we all have. I think if you look across—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, Deputy Premier!

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: I think if you look across all electorate offices, we all have very hardworking staff and, from my perspective, as I say, every hour that any staff member has ever worked has been accounted for in my office over I think it is coming up to nearly eight years that I have been in parliament now.

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