Mr GUNNER - 2016-02-11
Despite your and the Chief Minister’s claims to the contrary yesterday, your e-mail of 30 August shows you provided information to the CT Group regarding expressions of interest for the luxury hotel proposal in Darwin on 15 August, a full seven days before the Chief Minister’s media release announcing details of the EoI. At the same time you were in discussions with the same company to purchase $570 000 of shares in one of its projects.
Based on your travel and e-mail, you gave them information seven days before that media release. What were you hoping to gain by sharing EoI information with the CT Group while at the same time you were seeking to invest over $0.5m with them?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I missed the question. Was there a question there?
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Fannie Bay, can you repeat the question, please, for the Deputy Chief Minister?
Mr GUNNER: Despite your and the Chief Minister’s claims to the contrary yesterday, your e-mail of 30 August shows you provided information to the CT Group regarding expressions of interest for the luxury hotel proposal in Darwin on 15 August, a full seven days before the Chief Minister’s media release announcing the details of the EoI. At the same time you were in discussions with the same company to purchase $570 000 of shares in one of its projects.
What were you hoping to gain by sharing the EoI information with the CT Group while you were seeking to investment over $0.5m in the company?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the Leader of the Opposition for his question. I happen to know that discussions about the luxury hotel had been ongoing for months before any formal announcement came from the Chief Minister, so there were no secrets being given away prior to that becoming reasonably common knowledge.
I am passionate about the Northern Territory and ensuring this jurisdiction and the people who live here have every opportunity to benefit from investments locally, interstate and overseas.
In answer to the question from the Leader of the Opposition, what I hoped to benefit from providing information about a luxury hotel was to see the Territory develop in the tourism sector, to give a breath of fresh air and put some light on a new project that would put the Northern Territory on the map for tourism. That was the motivation.
That is what I am here for and why I was elected. That is why I have been given the responsibility I have, which is to promote opportunities within the Northern Territory to grow our economy.
Mr GUNNER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 110: relevance. The question went to the provision of information about an EoI seven days before the Chief Minister released the information to the public about the EoI, the nature of that conversation and what he attempted to gain from it.
Madam SPEAKER: The minister has time to answer the question.
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE: My answer is perfectly relevant. You asked me what I hoped to gain. That was the question, was it not – what I hoped to gain?
I hoped to gain benefit for the Northern Territory by having a new six-star hotel development in Darwin. That is the type of development that puts places like Darwin on the tourism map. It provides opportunities for all manner of things, not the least of which is jobs in the tourism sector, the hospitability sector and many other areas. That is what I was hoping to gain.
If you asked anyone who is courted by this government to invest in the Northern Territory the same question, that would be the answer: to promote the Northern Territory as a place to invest, live, work and play.
Based on your travel and e-mail, you gave them information seven days before that media release. What were you hoping to gain by sharing EoI information with the CT Group while at the same time you were seeking to invest over $0.5m with them?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I missed the question. Was there a question there?
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Fannie Bay, can you repeat the question, please, for the Deputy Chief Minister?
Mr GUNNER: Despite your and the Chief Minister’s claims to the contrary yesterday, your e-mail of 30 August shows you provided information to the CT Group regarding expressions of interest for the luxury hotel proposal in Darwin on 15 August, a full seven days before the Chief Minister’s media release announcing the details of the EoI. At the same time you were in discussions with the same company to purchase $570 000 of shares in one of its projects.
What were you hoping to gain by sharing the EoI information with the CT Group while you were seeking to investment over $0.5m in the company?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the Leader of the Opposition for his question. I happen to know that discussions about the luxury hotel had been ongoing for months before any formal announcement came from the Chief Minister, so there were no secrets being given away prior to that becoming reasonably common knowledge.
I am passionate about the Northern Territory and ensuring this jurisdiction and the people who live here have every opportunity to benefit from investments locally, interstate and overseas.
In answer to the question from the Leader of the Opposition, what I hoped to benefit from providing information about a luxury hotel was to see the Territory develop in the tourism sector, to give a breath of fresh air and put some light on a new project that would put the Northern Territory on the map for tourism. That was the motivation.
That is what I am here for and why I was elected. That is why I have been given the responsibility I have, which is to promote opportunities within the Northern Territory to grow our economy.
Mr GUNNER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 110: relevance. The question went to the provision of information about an EoI seven days before the Chief Minister released the information to the public about the EoI, the nature of that conversation and what he attempted to gain from it.
Madam SPEAKER: The minister has time to answer the question.
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE: My answer is perfectly relevant. You asked me what I hoped to gain. That was the question, was it not – what I hoped to gain?
I hoped to gain benefit for the Northern Territory by having a new six-star hotel development in Darwin. That is the type of development that puts places like Darwin on the tourism map. It provides opportunities for all manner of things, not the least of which is jobs in the tourism sector, the hospitability sector and many other areas. That is what I was hoping to gain.
If you asked anyone who is courted by this government to invest in the Northern Territory the same question, that would be the answer: to promote the Northern Territory as a place to invest, live, work and play.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016