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Legislative Council - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2009-09-08 Daily Xml
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PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS (15:31): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Leader of the Government a question on the subject of probity in PPPs.

Leave granted.

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS: Members will be aware that in recent weeks there has been significant public controversy about the Rann government's public-private partnership involving the $323 million super schools project, its relationship with the activities of the fundraising arm of the Labor Party, SA Progressive Business, and the activities of former Labor senator Nick Bolkus. For some time questions have been raised about the probity of the Premier and his ministers involving themselves with major Labor Party fundraisers attended by bidders and advisers during the actual bidding process for major PPP projects.

For example, during the bidding process for the $323 million super schools project a number of bidders and advisers were actually involved in fundraisers organised through Labor's fundraising vehicle, SA Progressive Business. Documents provided under freedom of information have released the names of some of those involved, including the Plenary Group, Abigroup, and Babcock and Brown (who later dropped out of the process). My questions to the Leader of the Government, as a senior minister in the Rann government, and bearing in mind that cabinet made the final decisions on the $323 million super schools project, are:

1. Can he assure this chamber that he did not participate in any SA Progressive Business fundraiser for the Labor Party which involved any bidder or adviser to a bidder during the bidding process for the $323 million super schools PPP project?

2. Do the government's current probity rules for PPP projects allow bidders and advisers to host and participate in major SA Progressive Business fundraisers for the Labor Party during the bidding process?

The Hon. P. HOLLOWAY (Minister for Mineral Resources Development, Minister for Urban Development and Planning, Minister for Small Business) (15:33): The honourable member would well recall that he asked some questions on probity rules some time back, and I put on the record then what was my understanding of those rules. I think (if my memory serves me correctly) that that was in relation to an earlier PPP project, but as far as I am concerned those rules still apply.

Have I been to a fundraising function at which one of these people may have been present? I suppose one can never be certain. This is my 40th year of membership of the Australian Labor Party, and I have been going to fundraising functions for a long time—literally thousands of them.

During that particular period, I am not sure whether I was at a function at which one of those people was present or not; after all, one cannot always be certain who is present in the large crowds that we get at some of our functions. What I can say absolutely is that I have not, during that period, discussed any of the details relating to any PPP with anyone. Whether or not they are present, I suppose one could never be 100 per cent certain, but what you can be sure of is that I have not discussed any details in relation to it, nor should anyone from the government, unless there was some issue from the person conducting the process.

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