Legislative Council - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2016-03-09 Daily Xml

Contents

Northern Economic Plan

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS (14:41): A supplementary: given the minister's refusal to answer the question, is the minister saying that Mayor Gary Johanson has not told the truth when he told Elizabeth Henson that he 'first heard of the 15,000 jobs target after the plan was launched'? Is the minister also saying that Mayor Glenn Docherty is not telling the truth when he told Elizabeth Henson, from the Northern Messenger, that 'he learnt of the 15,000 jobs target when he received the final draft of the plan the evening before it was launched in January'?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Employment, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation, Minister for Manufacturing and Innovation, Minister for Automotive Transformation, Minister for Science and Information Economy) (14:42): Absolutely not. I reject any suggestion from the Hon. Rob Lucas that those men tell lies. I will defend those mayors. I have worked very closely with them and I will not have them called liars by the Hon. Rob Lucas; it makes it plainly clear when you do not come out with half-truths and take into context everything that was said in the article. The Hon. Rob Lucas is now sitting back highly embarrassed from what he has said previously.