Legislative Council - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, First Session (54-1)
2019-10-29 Daily Xml

Contents

Ahlburg, Mr C.

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE (14:40): Supplementary: did the minister provide any assistance to sex offender Corey Ahlburg, who in 1993 was found guilty of unlawful intercourse with two intoxicated girls aged 15 and 16, to acquire a Chinese visa so that Corey Ahlburg could attend events that were part of the parliamentary trip to China in 2013?

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY (Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment) (14:41): I don't believe I did, and I find it somewhat disturbing that the Hon. Ms Bourke will drag up things when she was quite happy to be friends in the SDA with the Hon. Bernard Finnigan, and happy to have him sitting here passing legislation, and Tung Ngo. It is unbelievable that an offence that somebody committed 25, close to 30 years ago almost—I had no knowledge of it. I don't believe I provided any assistance at all to the individual in getting a visa to China, and I find it almost unbelievable that the SDA, that your friend Bernard Finnigan, who everybody voted for, who sat in this chamber and voted on laws that affect mums and dads and children in South Australia, the Labor Party, all of your team, were happy to take his vote in this place. I ventilated this issue extensively last week—about a whole hour of questions—and I don't have anything further to say.