Mr GUNNER - 2014-10-21
You know and work with Mr Graeme Lewis. He was your Chair of the Land Development Corporation when they paid $1m to Tiwi Resources Pty Ltd. In e-mails between Foundation 51 director, Graeme Lewis, Terry Mills and five members of the CLP executive that were revealed by the ABC last week, there is a prima facie suggestion a criminal breach of the Electoral Act has occurred in the non-disclosure of donations to the CLP by the slush fund Foundation 51. In the e-mails that were exposed, Mr Lewis said:
He went on to say:
Have you referred this matter to either the Commissioner of Police or the Director of Public Prosecutions for a full investigation, and if not, why?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I do not have a copy of the e-mails, so I have not referred it to anybody. You would think if I had a copy I might look at it, but I have not seen it. I do not look for these scurrilous things Labor tries to purport in a range of areas.
I will go through the same answers I gave during the last sittings. The AEC and the Northern Territory Electoral Commission are reviewing the operations and otherwise of Foundation 51. If you have a copy of an e-mail I have not seen, send it to the AEC or the Northern Territory Electoral Commission. I have no idea what that e-mail says, and I have not seen, read, or touched the e-mail. It has not been sent to me. If you have a copy of an e-mail, send it to the people conducting an inquiry.
Mr GUNNER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113; it beggars belief the Chief Minister is unaware of issues that have been running in the media for weeks. Have you referred this matter to the Commissioner of Police, and now that you are aware of it through Question Time today, will you refer this matter to the commissioner?
Madam SPEAKER: Thank you, member for Fannie Bay. Please be seated.
Mr GILES: I do not have a copy of the e-mail, but clearly you do. If you think there has been a breach of the law, why have you not referred it? If you have it, why have you not referred it if you think it is a problem?
These are the same sorts of questions that came up last time. I go back to what happened on the weekend; for the fourth time in a row you have run election campaigns on negativity, and you are going backwards each time.
It is not my job to give you direction about how you should run yourselves, but I encourage you to talk about policy. Come up with something to debate. Do not start to play the man again, rather than the proper game of how this all works. You just want to drag people’s names into the gutter.
You very gracefully allowed your leadership contender, the member for Fannie Bay, to ask a question. He is the spokesperson for police on your side. Why do you not ask a question about police, or better still, congratulate the police for their hard work across the Northern Territory? I will tell you about some hard work done by Territory police under the policies of the Country Liberals government.
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. By all means have your side ask you a Dorothy Dixer about crime statistics.
Madam SPEAKER: What is your question?
Ms LAWRIE: The question went to the e-mails from Graeme Lewis. They have been read onto the Hansard by the member for Fannie Bay, and you are refusing to answer why you will not refer it to the police commissioner or the DPP.
Madam SPEAKER: Opposition Leader, it is not a point of order, sit down. Chief Minister, you have the call.
Mr GILES: The e-mails were not read into Hansard by the member for Fannie Bay.
Let us talk about assaults in the Northern Territory. Labor will not like hearing about this, but this is policy and is complimenting Northern Territory police. There has been a 14% reduction in assaults in the Northern Territory, alcohol-related assaults are down by 19% ...
Ms WALKER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. The Chief Minister, the Police minister, clearly does not want to answer the question. He needs to provide an answer about why he will not refer this very serious matter about Foundation 51 to the commissioner or the DPP. That is his responsibility.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Nhulunbuy, the Chief Minister has three minutes to answer the question. Chief Minister, if you could get to the point.
Mr GILES: It has not been referred because you people have it and have not referred it.
Ms Walker: Three minutes to avoid the question.
Mr GILES: Alcohol-related assaults are down by …
Members interjecting.
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order, Madam Speaker! The member for Nhulunbuy just reflected on your decision, and I ask that you take appropriate action.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Port Darwin, I did not hear what you allege the member for Nhulunbuy said. Chief Minister, you have the call.
Mr GILES: Alcohol-related assaults are down by 19% in the Northern Territory. Property offences …
Mr GUNNER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. The question did not ask about crime statistics.
Madam SPEAKER: Sit down, it is not a point of order. Chief Minister, if you could get to the point.
Ms Lawrie: Will you answer that question?
Mr GILES: The question has been answered. I do not have a copy of the e-mail, and if you have it …
Mr Gunner: Sit down, let Question Time continue.
Ms Lawrie: He will not answer it, sit down.
Madam SPEAKER: Chief Minister, please pause.
Opposition Leader and member for Fannie Bay, you are both on a warning for inappropriate language.
Chief Minister, you have the call.
Mr GILES: If you both have the e-mail and think a crime has been committed, you should refer it. You have a responsibility; I do not have the e-mail. It is simple.
- Once again, the contributors were clearly aware, and did generally stipulate, that the funds raised would be devoted to NT elections in 2012 or thereafter.
He went on to say:
- … I will be mortified if this information becomes widely known. It must be closely held for obvious reasons.
Have you referred this matter to either the Commissioner of Police or the Director of Public Prosecutions for a full investigation, and if not, why?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I do not have a copy of the e-mails, so I have not referred it to anybody. You would think if I had a copy I might look at it, but I have not seen it. I do not look for these scurrilous things Labor tries to purport in a range of areas.
I will go through the same answers I gave during the last sittings. The AEC and the Northern Territory Electoral Commission are reviewing the operations and otherwise of Foundation 51. If you have a copy of an e-mail I have not seen, send it to the AEC or the Northern Territory Electoral Commission. I have no idea what that e-mail says, and I have not seen, read, or touched the e-mail. It has not been sent to me. If you have a copy of an e-mail, send it to the people conducting an inquiry.
Mr GUNNER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113; it beggars belief the Chief Minister is unaware of issues that have been running in the media for weeks. Have you referred this matter to the Commissioner of Police, and now that you are aware of it through Question Time today, will you refer this matter to the commissioner?
Madam SPEAKER: Thank you, member for Fannie Bay. Please be seated.
Mr GILES: I do not have a copy of the e-mail, but clearly you do. If you think there has been a breach of the law, why have you not referred it? If you have it, why have you not referred it if you think it is a problem?
These are the same sorts of questions that came up last time. I go back to what happened on the weekend; for the fourth time in a row you have run election campaigns on negativity, and you are going backwards each time.
It is not my job to give you direction about how you should run yourselves, but I encourage you to talk about policy. Come up with something to debate. Do not start to play the man again, rather than the proper game of how this all works. You just want to drag people’s names into the gutter.
You very gracefully allowed your leadership contender, the member for Fannie Bay, to ask a question. He is the spokesperson for police on your side. Why do you not ask a question about police, or better still, congratulate the police for their hard work across the Northern Territory? I will tell you about some hard work done by Territory police under the policies of the Country Liberals government.
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. By all means have your side ask you a Dorothy Dixer about crime statistics.
Madam SPEAKER: What is your question?
Ms LAWRIE: The question went to the e-mails from Graeme Lewis. They have been read onto the Hansard by the member for Fannie Bay, and you are refusing to answer why you will not refer it to the police commissioner or the DPP.
Madam SPEAKER: Opposition Leader, it is not a point of order, sit down. Chief Minister, you have the call.
Mr GILES: The e-mails were not read into Hansard by the member for Fannie Bay.
Let us talk about assaults in the Northern Territory. Labor will not like hearing about this, but this is policy and is complimenting Northern Territory police. There has been a 14% reduction in assaults in the Northern Territory, alcohol-related assaults are down by 19% ...
Ms WALKER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. The Chief Minister, the Police minister, clearly does not want to answer the question. He needs to provide an answer about why he will not refer this very serious matter about Foundation 51 to the commissioner or the DPP. That is his responsibility.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Nhulunbuy, the Chief Minister has three minutes to answer the question. Chief Minister, if you could get to the point.
Mr GILES: It has not been referred because you people have it and have not referred it.
Ms Walker: Three minutes to avoid the question.
Mr GILES: Alcohol-related assaults are down by …
Members interjecting.
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order, Madam Speaker! The member for Nhulunbuy just reflected on your decision, and I ask that you take appropriate action.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Port Darwin, I did not hear what you allege the member for Nhulunbuy said. Chief Minister, you have the call.
Mr GILES: Alcohol-related assaults are down by 19% in the Northern Territory. Property offences …
Mr GUNNER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. The question did not ask about crime statistics.
Madam SPEAKER: Sit down, it is not a point of order. Chief Minister, if you could get to the point.
Ms Lawrie: Will you answer that question?
Mr GILES: The question has been answered. I do not have a copy of the e-mail, and if you have it …
Mr Gunner: Sit down, let Question Time continue.
Ms Lawrie: He will not answer it, sit down.
Madam SPEAKER: Chief Minister, please pause.
Opposition Leader and member for Fannie Bay, you are both on a warning for inappropriate language.
Chief Minister, you have the call.
Mr GILES: If you both have the e-mail and think a crime has been committed, you should refer it. You have a responsibility; I do not have the e-mail. It is simple.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016