Mr GUNNER - 2014-10-22
In an e-mail dated 26 March 2014, Foundation 51 director Graeme Lewis told CLP president Ross Connolly they had discussed Foundation 51 on many occasions with you, Chief Minister, and you are:
It is unbelievable you continue to deny the use of Foundation 51 as a CLP slush fund. The Leader of the Opposition has written to you, asking you to supply copies of leaked e-mails from Graeme Lewis that show Foundation 51 funds were used for the CLP’s 2012 election campaign and not declared, as required by law.
I seek leave to table the letter from the Leader of the Opposition.
Leave granted.
Mr GUNNER: This behaviour is corrupt and criminal, a clear breach of the NT Electoral Act …
Madam SPEAKER: Please withdraw those comments, member for Fannie Bay.
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Bring on the censure. She full well knows that will get me to my feet to have the matter dealt with by way of substantive motion. Bring it on.
Mr GUNNER: Madam Speaker, I withdraw. This behaviour is a clear breach of the NT Electoral Act, yet you failed to stand down Terry Mills from the $750 000 taxpayer-funded job in Jakarta you appointed him to. Why do you continue to cover up this criminal behaviour?
Madam SPEAKER: Withdraw that accusation, please, member for Fannie Bay.
Mr GUNNER: I withdraw. Chief Minister, why do you continue to cover up this behaviour?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, let me correct a few inaccuracies there. One, Terry Mills is not paid $750 000 a year for a start. That is a flat out lie you have brought out. It is important for people to know; I said it yesterday and I will say it again with a different audience: my job is to employ the chief executive officers of each department. Who they employ is up to them. I might support the structure and policy of what we do as government, but the CEOs employ people. I will not get involved in the engagement or termination of employment of any individual within government.
You made accusations about Foundation 51. Again, Foundation 51 is a private company. It has nothing to do with us. The party is a matter that has nothing to do with us; we do not get involved in those operations.
Yesterday, you asked a question about Foundation 51. You said you had some sort of smoking gun e-mail; I told you there is currently a review under way by the Australian Electoral Commission and the NT Electoral Commission, and if you had information you were not happy with you should refer it to those two bodies, which are very senior organisations in the Australian democratic profile from the parliamentary point of view. If you have that information you should do that.
Yesterday you also alleged criminal activity. It was nonsense what you were alleging, but I said if you think there has been a breach of the law, you have a responsibility to refer that to those bodies, whether it is the AEC, the NTEC, police or whoever you think. You have not done that.
This morning, just before I walked into parliament, I received a letter from the Leader of the Opposition. I question again whether the Leader of the Opposition has referred this as she wants or is she now asking me to do that? She does not have the competence to do it herself if she thinks it is real …
Ms Fyles: Why will you not? You keep denying it. You have your head in the sand.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Member for Nightcliff!
Mr GILES: Instead, what you are doing is playing politics with a matter that has nothing to do with government. It is a private company under federal law, but you want to keep raising it here from some political agenda point of view.
Let us stop and think what has happened today …
Mr GUNNER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: concise. Could the Chief Minister get to the point? Will he stand down Terry Mills?
Madam SPEAKER: Thank you, member for Fannie Bay. Chief Minister, you have the call.
Mr GILES: What you are asking me to do is illegal. You are asking me to go into an agency and terminate someone’s contract. You might like to politicise the public service when you are in government, but we do not ...
Mr GUNNER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: concise. Will he stand down Terry Mills while this is being investigated?
Madam SPEAKER: He has time to answer the question.
Mr GILES: I have just answered that. That would be an illegal activity. The Public Sector Employment and Management Act …
Mr Vowles: Get Jodeen to do it.
Mr GILES: Are you all there? Do you understand how government works? We are giving the member for Johnston instructions on how legislation passes through the Chamber, and now you are asking me to sack public servants individually. That is a disgrace, Michael. That is an embarrassment for the opposition in the Chamber.
Madam SPEAKER: Refer to the member by his electorate name, Chief Minister.
Mr GILES: It is an embarrassment. Let us look at what happened today. You bagged out Tiwi Islanders, you said you do not support investment on Aboriginal country, you are asking me to commit a crime and you have not spoken about one Labor Party policy during Question Time.
Madam SPEAKER: Chief Minister, your time has expired.
Mr ELFERINK (Leader of Government Business): Madam Speaker, I ask that further questions be placed on the Written Question Paper.
- … well disposed to having the Foundation continue its activity …
It is unbelievable you continue to deny the use of Foundation 51 as a CLP slush fund. The Leader of the Opposition has written to you, asking you to supply copies of leaked e-mails from Graeme Lewis that show Foundation 51 funds were used for the CLP’s 2012 election campaign and not declared, as required by law.
I seek leave to table the letter from the Leader of the Opposition.
Leave granted.
Mr GUNNER: This behaviour is corrupt and criminal, a clear breach of the NT Electoral Act …
Madam SPEAKER: Please withdraw those comments, member for Fannie Bay.
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Bring on the censure. She full well knows that will get me to my feet to have the matter dealt with by way of substantive motion. Bring it on.
Mr GUNNER: Madam Speaker, I withdraw. This behaviour is a clear breach of the NT Electoral Act, yet you failed to stand down Terry Mills from the $750 000 taxpayer-funded job in Jakarta you appointed him to. Why do you continue to cover up this criminal behaviour?
Madam SPEAKER: Withdraw that accusation, please, member for Fannie Bay.
Mr GUNNER: I withdraw. Chief Minister, why do you continue to cover up this behaviour?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, let me correct a few inaccuracies there. One, Terry Mills is not paid $750 000 a year for a start. That is a flat out lie you have brought out. It is important for people to know; I said it yesterday and I will say it again with a different audience: my job is to employ the chief executive officers of each department. Who they employ is up to them. I might support the structure and policy of what we do as government, but the CEOs employ people. I will not get involved in the engagement or termination of employment of any individual within government.
You made accusations about Foundation 51. Again, Foundation 51 is a private company. It has nothing to do with us. The party is a matter that has nothing to do with us; we do not get involved in those operations.
Yesterday, you asked a question about Foundation 51. You said you had some sort of smoking gun e-mail; I told you there is currently a review under way by the Australian Electoral Commission and the NT Electoral Commission, and if you had information you were not happy with you should refer it to those two bodies, which are very senior organisations in the Australian democratic profile from the parliamentary point of view. If you have that information you should do that.
Yesterday you also alleged criminal activity. It was nonsense what you were alleging, but I said if you think there has been a breach of the law, you have a responsibility to refer that to those bodies, whether it is the AEC, the NTEC, police or whoever you think. You have not done that.
This morning, just before I walked into parliament, I received a letter from the Leader of the Opposition. I question again whether the Leader of the Opposition has referred this as she wants or is she now asking me to do that? She does not have the competence to do it herself if she thinks it is real …
Ms Fyles: Why will you not? You keep denying it. You have your head in the sand.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Member for Nightcliff!
Mr GILES: Instead, what you are doing is playing politics with a matter that has nothing to do with government. It is a private company under federal law, but you want to keep raising it here from some political agenda point of view.
Let us stop and think what has happened today …
Mr GUNNER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: concise. Could the Chief Minister get to the point? Will he stand down Terry Mills?
Madam SPEAKER: Thank you, member for Fannie Bay. Chief Minister, you have the call.
Mr GILES: What you are asking me to do is illegal. You are asking me to go into an agency and terminate someone’s contract. You might like to politicise the public service when you are in government, but we do not ...
Mr GUNNER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: concise. Will he stand down Terry Mills while this is being investigated?
Madam SPEAKER: He has time to answer the question.
Mr GILES: I have just answered that. That would be an illegal activity. The Public Sector Employment and Management Act …
Mr Vowles: Get Jodeen to do it.
Mr GILES: Are you all there? Do you understand how government works? We are giving the member for Johnston instructions on how legislation passes through the Chamber, and now you are asking me to sack public servants individually. That is a disgrace, Michael. That is an embarrassment for the opposition in the Chamber.
Madam SPEAKER: Refer to the member by his electorate name, Chief Minister.
Mr GILES: It is an embarrassment. Let us look at what happened today. You bagged out Tiwi Islanders, you said you do not support investment on Aboriginal country, you are asking me to commit a crime and you have not spoken about one Labor Party policy during Question Time.
Madam SPEAKER: Chief Minister, your time has expired.
Mr ELFERINK (Leader of Government Business): Madam Speaker, I ask that further questions be placed on the Written Question Paper.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016