Premier attacks LNP leader over time at company that collapsed owing thousands

Queensland’s opposition leader is not fit to lead the state following allegations he ran a company that might have been trading insolvent, the premier says.

Steven Miles has taken aim at LNP leader David Crisafulli over his business record prior to returning to parliament, with fewer than 100 days to go until October’s state election.

Liberal National Party leader David Crisafulli, left, and Labor premier Steven Miles.Credit: Bethany Rae

“If you can’t run a small forklift ticket training company, you cannot run the state of Queensland,” he said on Wednesday.

The premier’s attack on Crisafulli relates to a 2019 liquidators report that claimed a training organisation he briefly led before re-entering parliament had exaggerated some assets.

Crisafulli was looking for private sector work after losing his north Queensland seat of Mundingburra in the 2015 election when Labor swept to power.

He was director of Melbourne-based Southern Edge Training between December 2015 and April 2016.

The training organisation – which offered a range of courses including forklift operation – collapsed in June 2016 owing hundreds of thousands of dollars.

A PwC liquidators’ report claimed the company overstated the value of some assets during Crisafulli’s stint and alleged it “appears to have traded while insolvent” from at least December 2015.

The investigation also found the company consistently could not pay creditors and had attempted to sell the business over its financial difficulties before Crisafulli became director.

Crisafulli on Wednesday accused the government of trying to tarnish his reputation, saying he had responded to the allegation after returning to parliament.

“I am mindful the government tried this in 2017 the moment I got back into parliament,” he told reporters.

“I know they have been trying to shop this around for a long time but what is on the record is very clearly a reflection of exactly what I said seven years ago.”

During an address to parliament in 2018, Crisafulli said he took the training organisation job based on the promise money would be injected into the business.

“When this did not eventuate, rather than cut and run I worked to bring in new revenue, streamline costs and worked to sign a new deal to bring about new ownership,” he told parliament.

Crisafulli said during his tenure, the company returned a profit every month.

When new ownership was agreed upon, Crisafulli said he committed to major suppliers the organisation would meet current accounts and pay outstanding debts.

“While I was a director of that company, that commitment to those creditors was met bar one: myself,” he told parliament.

“I forewent all of the money that had been agreed and I was entitled to for the work I undertook to ensure that my word was honoured.”

Miles said Crisafulli referencing his 2018 speech was not relevant to the information obtained in the liquidator’s 2019 report.

“I think the circumstances have changed quite dramatically since then and we have that report which clearly seems to indicate that it was insolvent at the time he was the director,” he said.

The LNP is leading the polls at present.