David Crisafulli opposes release of documents on SET Solutions

Premier David Crisafulli has opposed the release of documents relating to a claim of insolvent trading during his time as director of a failed training company.

Premier David Crisafulli at an LNP party room meeting on Monday

Premier David Crisafulli has opposed the release of documents relating to a claim of insolvent trading during his time as director of failed training company SET Solutions.

A Freedom of Information request, lodged by the Labor Opposition, sought access to 284 pages of documents relating to Mr Crisafulli’s four-month stint as a director of SET Solutions.

The company, which received taxpayer funding to train students, collapsed in June 2016 owing more than $3m to creditors.

Mr Crisafulli was a director between December 2015 and April 2016.

Contained in the tranche of documents requested by Labor on the eve of the state election was a letter from the liquidator’s lawyers to Mr Crisafulli “setting out insolvent trading claim”.

It reveals, Opposition Leader Steven Miles says, Mr Crisafulli engaged in wrongdoing – a claim the Premier has always denied.

Access to the four-page letter dated May 13, 2019 and 280 others were rejected on personal privacy and business information concerns – along with some being considered irrelevant.

A spokesman for the Premier did not respond directly to the revelation, but maintained Mr Crisafulli had met all his obligations.

“The facts are, there were zero findings against him during or after his short four months at the business a decade ago,” he said.

Mr Miles argued the letter to Mr Crisafulli about “insolvent trading claim” proved he had misled voters.

“David Crisafulli should release these documents so Queenslanders can see (for themselves),” he said.

Mr Crisafulli, asked at a media conference in September whether SET Solutions had traded insolvent while he was director, said: “No.”

Repeatedly pressed to explain why he paid $200,000 to liquidators as part of a negotiated settlement, Mr Crisafulli said he met his obligations as a director and no findings were made against him.

Access to the 284 documents were refused by a federal government FOI officer, who found disclosure of the information would cause detriment to the former directors of SET Solutions.

“The documents set out at length the sensitive and other financial information underpinning insolvent trading claims against former directors of Southern Edge Training,” it said.

“Disclosure of this information, therefore, could lead to embarrassment, exposure to ridicule or public criticism for the former directors of Southern Edge Training.”

Labor previously used parliamentary privilege to argue the $200,000 Mr Crisafulli paid was “hush money” to avoid a prolonged court battle – a claim he labelled “desperate”.