Mark Bailey defends use of private email again

LABOR Minister Mark Bailey has been force to fend off more pressure from the Opposition over the use of a contentious private email account after the Premier declared it would not be tolerated.

MINISTER Mark Bailey has defended his private email use in State Parliament following revelations he used his [e-mail] account in the days after Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk declared such use would not be tolerated.

“I can report to the chamber that I was in fact on leave and out of the country until my first day back at work on Monday, January 23,” he told the House.

“Upon my return I was briefed on matters that occurred while I was on leave.

“As soon as the matter of personal email use was raised at Cabinet on the afternoon of Monday, January 23, I committed to complying with the Premier’s directive.”

Mark Bailey has been force to defend his use of his private [e-mail] email account in Parliament. Picture: AAP/Dan Peled

It was revealed today Mr Bailey continued to use his mangocube6 account in the days after Ms Palaszczuk publicly said that use should stop.

She made the public declaration on January 17 and brought it up at Cabinet on January 23.

Emails released following an Opposition RTI application, however, show Mr Bailey was still using the account including sending an email to GetUp on January 23 and one to his ministerial staff on January 31 regarding a media response.

The Opposition questioned Ms Palaszczuk on the revelations this morning but she stood by Minister Bailey.

“As the minister stated to the house when he was at Cabinet, when all of the cabinet ministers were there I issued that directive and my understanding is he has complied with that directive since then,” the Premier told the House in response.