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Legislative Council - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2012-11-01 Daily Xml
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APY LANDS, EXPENDITURE

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS (15:09): I seek leave to make an explanation before asking the Minister for Communities and Social Inclusion a question on the subject of financial mismanagement by DCSI staff.

Leave granted.

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS: For some time now, three whistleblowers within the minister's department have been providing information to the opposition about their very significant concerns about financial mismanagement by departmental staff and the waste of moneys, in particular in relation to expenditure in the APY lands. Three months ago, I put a series of questions to departmental officers at the Budget and Finance Committee without naming officers or providing too much detail, nevertheless seeking detailed responses from the minister's department. To this stage, I have still not received any replies.

Some six or seven weeks ago, I put a question to the minister in this house, again without indicating the name of any individual officers, and six or seven weeks later there is still no response from the minister. Yesterday, I put a question to the minister asking about the questions to the Budget and Finance Committee, whether he had been briefed on issues in relation to one particular allegation and whether or not he was going to provide an answer to the question I had put to him.

The minister, as all would see, arrogantly refused to even address the question that was put to him yesterday. Therefore, I am left in a position where I will need to outline the details of some of these claims by the whistleblowers in an endeavour to flush out the minister and the department and provide information in the interests of transparency and accountability, and I do so with a list of questions to the minister, as follows:

1. Did an officer with the initials JC claim locality allowance for herself and her children, claiming that she was based in Amata between March 2011 and approximately August 2012?

2. Is it correct that JC never lived in Amata?

3. Has JC been required to pay back the locality allowance and, if not, why not?

4. Has JC also made claims for meal allowances when she was not entitled to make claims for meal allowances?

5. Has JC stayed in hotel accommodation rather than DCSI accommodation and, if so, does this cost DCSI additional funding and, if so, how much?

6. Did JC receive a significant pay rise in 2012?

7. Was that pay rise almost $35,000; and, if not, what was the level of that pay increase?

8. Did another officer with the initials ER claim locality allowance for herself and her partner for the period July 2011 to March 2012?

9. Is it correct that that officer with the initials ER was not entitled to claim locality allowance for that period?

10 Was that locality allowance ceased in March 2012 after an investigation?

11. If yes, is it correct that reimbursement of that locality allowance was not sought by the department and, if not, why not?

12. Is it correct that manager Sue Wallace, soon after March 2012, gave ER a 20 per cent attraction allowance and, if so, why?

13. Has any disciplinary action been taken against the officers with the initials JC and ER by departmental staff?

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Communities and Social Inclusion, Minister for Social Housing, Minister for Disabilities, Minister for Youth, Minister for Volunteers) (15:13): I thank the honourable member for at last providing some details. Instead of having to go through charades and pretence and posturing for the last number of sitting weeks, his making vague allegations and asking me to walk into his little scheme without giving me any details, he has at last come forward with something I can actually respond to. I thank him for that, and I will take those questions on notice and I will bring back a response in due course.

The PRESIDENT: The Hon. Mrs Zollo.

The Hon. D.W. Ridgway interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Are you on your feet?

An honourable member interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: What do you want? Are you going to ask a question? I called the Hon. Mrs Zollo, so you can sit down.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. CARMEL ZOLLO: I am always happy to get the call, the Hon. Mr Ridgway.

The Hon. D.W. Ridgway: Why don't you just put on those fish-eye glasses so that you can see around the corner?

The PRESIDENT: You need to go and have a coffee outside, sir. The Hon. Mrs Zollo.

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