Deputy Premier accused of using confidential information for property purchase
There are calls for Treasurer Jackie Trad to be stripped of responsibility for Cross River Rail after revelations of an undeclared house purchase from which she stands to benefit.
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JACKIE Trad failed to publicly declare a property she purchased in her electorate that stands to reap big gains from Government plans to build Cross River Rail and a new school nearby.
The Courier-Mail can reveal the Treasurer and Member for South Brisbane bought the three-bedroom Woolloongabba home in March, but did not amend State Parliament’s register of members’ interests as required.
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The unrented cottage is a short distance from the existing Park Rd train and bus station, and the new Boggo Rd jail station that will be built as part of the $5.4 billion Cross River Rail project.
The $695,500 property is also within the catchment of the new Inner City South State Secondary College, which Ms Trad announced with Education Minister Grace Grace in April.
Ms Trad purchased the home through her family company VBT Investments, formerly known as Tradster Pty Ltd.
Her family trust already lists real estate in Mackay and Coorparoo on the register.
Property records list the contract date as March 27 and the sale was registered with Queensland Land Titles Office on May 1.
State MPs are required to amend their register within a month of their circumstances changing. Failure to comply is considered contempt of Parliament.
The confidential Cross River Rail business case found property owners near stations would be among the project’s key beneficiaries, while the public version detailed examples of value uplift around similar transport developments.
Opposition frontbencher Jarrod Bleijie called for Ms Trad to be stripped of responsibility for Cross River Rail, saying the purchase did not pass the “pub test”.
“Jackie Trad has failed to declare ownership of a house just hundreds of metres from Cross River Rail,” he said.
“There needs to be a full investigation into whether Jackie Trad used confidential government information for personal gain.”
Ms Trad said she had recently updated the Clerk of Parliament on several changes to her register, but conceded the property had not been listed as required.
“I have advised him that the new entries submitted several weeks ago are correct and I will provide the appropriate paperwork to finalise this update,” she said, adding that it was an Opposition “smear campaign”.
The property has been used in recent weeks as temporary housing for victims of a hostel fire in West End.
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