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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2022-10-19 Daily Xml
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Sporting and Infrastructure Grants

Mr COWDREY (Colton) (14:54): My question is to the Treasurer. Does the Treasurer stand by his comments on ABC radio this morning? With your leave, sir, and that of the house, I will explain.

Leave granted.

Mr COWDREY: On ABC radio this morning, the Treasurer claimed the sporting grants provided as election commitments by the government had been assessed within the public sector financial management framework. The Auditor-General's Report states that they were conducted 'outside the public sector framework'.

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN (Lee—Treasurer) (14:54): I thank the member for Colton for his question. The Auditor-General's Report raises the concern that spending decisions were taken outside the public sector framework.

Mr Cowdrey: No, the assessment, Treasurer.

The SPEAKER: Member for Colton!

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: The Auditor-General's Report raises the view that the spending decisions were taken outside the public sector framework.

Mr Cowdrey: No, the assessment, Treasurer. That's not what he said.

The SPEAKER: Order! The shadow treasurer is called to order. The Treasurer has the call.

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: What I made clear yesterday when I spoke to the ABC is that the spending decisions happened inside the public sector framework. Indeed—

Mr Cowdrey: Not the assessment? That's what the Auditor-General was worried about.

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Colton well knows the standing orders. The Treasurer has the call.

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: Indeed—

Mr Cowdrey: You're being very selective with your language, Treasurer.

The SPEAKER: Member for Colton, you are warned. If you have a point of order to raise, please raise it.

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: Indeed, the spending decision was made by cabinet which, of course, is the appropriate decision-making body in this instance. The decision was made in cabinet, and then the—

Mr Cowdrey: When did the assessment happen?

The SPEAKER: The member for Colton is warned.

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: The decision was made by cabinet. That then not only provides the expenditure authority but enables the relevant agencies to carry out and give effect to those election commitments. They are then carried out by reaching funding arrangements with the recipients of those funds, whether they are sporting community clubs, indeed, whether they are a council—

Mr Cowdrey: The Auditor-General was not worried about that at all.

The SPEAKER: The member for Colton is warned for a second time.

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: —which then enables them to go about the delivery of those election commitments to those recipients. That is then done within the public sector and financial management framework of government. I don't agree with the view necessarily that these decisions were taken outside of the public sector framework because the decision was very clearly—

Mr Cowdrey: You disagree with him?

The SPEAKER: The member for Colton is warned for a third time. The Treasurer has the call.

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: Thank you, Mr Speaker. The decision was very clearly taken by cabinet, which then authorised the agencies to enter into arrangements to give effect to those election commitments. That was the advice that I provided the ABC when I was interviewed by them yesterday, and that is fact. That is not an opinion: that is fact. Cabinet made the decision. That is the appropriate decision-making authority for this purpose—

Mr Cowdrey: What about the assessment process, Treasurer?

The SPEAKER: Order! The Treasurer has the call.

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: —and that then provides the expenditure authority and the legal authority for the agencies to give effect to those election commitments. There is, of course, one part of the process that did happen outside the public sector framework, and that is the parliament ultimately approved these decisions in its consideration and approval of the budget, which wasn't just approved by us but was approved by all members of parliament.

The SPEAKER: The member for Frome and then the member for Gibson. I observe that the—

The Hon. S.C. Mullighan interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The Treasurer is called to order.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The exchange between the member for Chaffey and the Treasurer will cease.

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