Mr STIRLING - 1999-08-18
Mr Speaker, I seek leave to table the company records and advertising material of an employment agency, Best Practice Services Pty Ltd.
Leave granted.
Mr STIRLING: Mr Speaker, this employment agency, with a turnover in excess of $1m per year, is a business requiring the constant attention of its proprietor and hands-on director. The first document, an advertisement placed in the Minerals Council’s Service and Supply Directory, makes it absolutely clear that the member for Nightcliff has the hands-on role of running this agency. Does the Chief Minister approve of the member for Nightcliff, Steve Hatton, performing this role instead of giving priority to serving his electorate?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, the assertion is that the member for Nightcliff is not serving his electorate adequately because of attention to a personal business. The best response to that sort of assertion is the fact that the member for Nightcliff is sitting on this side of the Chamber rather than that side of the Chamber. If the electorate of Nightcliff was dissatisfied with the way this member serves his electorate, that would not be so. We can assume from the fact that he sits here that they’re happy. That’s the first point.
With regard to any conflict between his pecuniary interests and his service as a member of the Assembly, I understand, firstly, that all members of this Assembly have until 10 September to complete their pecuniary interest forms. I speak to all members of government to ensure they pay close attention to that.
If the opposition wants to raise those sorts of issues, I ask them to tread extremely carefully. The last time the opposition raised an issue of pecuniary interest and we checked the pecuniary interest forms, the then member for MacDonnell, one Mr Neil Bell, was shown to have several hundreds of thousands of shares not revealed in his pecuniary interest forms. I simply ask the opposition to tread carefully if they want to dwell in that area.
I have confidence in the way the member for Nightcliff serves his electorate. I have no knowledge that there is any conflict between the business, of which I understand his wife is the principal, and the way he serves his electorate.
Leave granted.
Mr STIRLING: Mr Speaker, this employment agency, with a turnover in excess of $1m per year, is a business requiring the constant attention of its proprietor and hands-on director. The first document, an advertisement placed in the Minerals Council’s Service and Supply Directory, makes it absolutely clear that the member for Nightcliff has the hands-on role of running this agency. Does the Chief Minister approve of the member for Nightcliff, Steve Hatton, performing this role instead of giving priority to serving his electorate?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, the assertion is that the member for Nightcliff is not serving his electorate adequately because of attention to a personal business. The best response to that sort of assertion is the fact that the member for Nightcliff is sitting on this side of the Chamber rather than that side of the Chamber. If the electorate of Nightcliff was dissatisfied with the way this member serves his electorate, that would not be so. We can assume from the fact that he sits here that they’re happy. That’s the first point.
With regard to any conflict between his pecuniary interests and his service as a member of the Assembly, I understand, firstly, that all members of this Assembly have until 10 September to complete their pecuniary interest forms. I speak to all members of government to ensure they pay close attention to that.
If the opposition wants to raise those sorts of issues, I ask them to tread extremely carefully. The last time the opposition raised an issue of pecuniary interest and we checked the pecuniary interest forms, the then member for MacDonnell, one Mr Neil Bell, was shown to have several hundreds of thousands of shares not revealed in his pecuniary interest forms. I simply ask the opposition to tread carefully if they want to dwell in that area.
I have confidence in the way the member for Nightcliff serves his electorate. I have no knowledge that there is any conflict between the business, of which I understand his wife is the principal, and the way he serves his electorate.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016