Queensland Parliament Budget Estimates: Rolling updates
THE State Opposition has questioned the appointment of a Major-General who lives in Brisbane as a community champion for Townsville, with the Premier firing back in defence of the move.
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THE State Opposition has raised questions about the appointment of Major-General Stuart Smith as Townsville’s community champion.
While being questioned by the Opposition during estimates, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk confirmed Mr Smith travelled from Brisbane to Townsville to do his job.
“But he has spent time being a leader in the Townsville community,” she said.
“He is well known in the Townsville community.
“He is well regarded by that community. I hope you’re not criticising his appointment.”
Ms Palaszczuk said she had met with him several times and that he provided monthly reports to the Department of Premier and Cabinet.
LNP Member for Mermaid Beach Ray Stevens questioned why the Premier had appointed a community champion in Townsville given the region had three MPs, including a Cabinet Minister.
Mr Smith’s role includes consulting broadly with the Townsville community on youth crime issues.
He is also expected to provide a final written report to the Premier by the end of January next year.
The Premier said Mr Smith had provided her government with “invaluable service”.
True cost of Cross River Rail spruiking
ALMOST $2.5 million of taxpayers’ money will be spent telling Queenslanders about the State Government’s much-spruiked Cross River Rail project.
Treasurer Jackie Trad revealed the projected multimillion-dollar expenditure in a Budget Estimates question on notice today.
Previous requests by The Courier-Mail on the issue have been denied, with the Government deeming the information “commercial in confidence.”
Over $1 million was spent during the last financial year on the production and placement of advertising material, while $433,000 was splashed on “community engagement”.
It is projected a further $680,000 will be spent this year on advertising, along with a further $300,000 on community engagement.
Significant advertising for Cross River Rail has been placed inside The Gabba and other areas around South Brisbane that are expected to benefit most from the rail line.
Ms Trad defended the expenditure, saying it was important that Queenslander’s were kept informed on the project.
“Engagement activities have also been aligned to the early works program,” said Ms Trad, also the Member for South Brisbane and former transport and infrastructure minister.
“This has allowed the local community opportunities to engage face-to-face and obtain information about the project.
“In 2017-18 the Cross River Rail Delivery Authority has engaged regularly with the southeast Queensland community to inform them about the Cross River Rail Project’s progress, activities, milestones and benefits.
“Going forward, the delivery authority will continue to use similar communication modes to inform the community of the project’s progress.
“Feedback from the engagement activities confirms that these activities have been welcomed by the community.”
Push to ban ‘claim farming’
COLD callers who prey on children and the elderly claiming to be government officials trying to get personal details could soon be banned after the State Government announced they would crack down on the “insidious” practice.
Treasurer Jackie Trad today told a Parliamentary Estimates hearing that “claim farming” of Queensland’s compulsory third party (CTP) insurance scheme was on the rise, sparking fears the premiums paid on vehicle registration would be forced to increase as a result.
The practice sees members of the public receive random calls or social media messages asking for their personal details regarding their involvement in car accidents.
In some cases, minor accident victims have been cold called when no police, ambulance, towing service or hospital administration was required.
Ms Trad said “claim farmers” then gather the personal data and sell it on for significant money.
“Claim farmers often use high pressure tactics and can be contacting vulnerable people, including children and the elderly,” she said.
“People are rightly concerned that their personal, private information is being provided to claim farmers or accessed by claim farmers.
“It is clear that some claim farmers appear to have no moral boundaries and that is why their business practices must be stopped.”
The Courier-Mail revealed the practice in February last year with then Treasurer Curtis Pitt saying the government would investigate the issue.
Ms Trad said the Motor Accident Insurance Commission would now investigate the practice and advise on the best course of action for the government.
It is expected legislation will be introduced to Parliament by next year to ban “claim farming.”
Modelling would be a waste
NO MODELLING was undertaken to determine the impact of the new waste levy on families because the State Government did not believe it was necessary given the rebates on offer to councils, Queensland’s Under-Treasurer has revealed.
Under-Treasurer Jim Murphy told today’s Estimates hearing there was “no real need” for such modelling as the Government was compensating councils so they did not pass on the cost of the levy to households.
“The way the waste levy is structured it will not have any impact on households given the funding has been provided to local councils so there was no real need to model how it will impact on households,” Mr Murphy told the hearing.
The levy, which will begin in March, is expect to net the Government about $1.3 billion over four years.
The levy has been set at $70 a tonne for general waste, increasing by $5 a year over four years until it reaches $90 a tonne.
Assurance on board appointments
PREMIER Annastacia Palaszczuk says her Government will implement any recommendations made by Under-Treasurer Jim Murphy to improve transparency around board appointments after the Crime and Corruption Commission found the current process wanting.
The CCC assessed the appointment of Energy Queensland director Mark Algie after it was revealed he was given the board job within days of his CV being emailed to former Energy Minister Mark Bailey via his private mangocube6@yahoo.co.uk account.
The CCC handed down its findings earlier this month and while the watchdog found there was insufficient evidence to raise a reasonable suspicion that any person involved in the appointment engaged in corrupt conduct of corrupt conduct, it also found the current appointment process “lacks transparency and good governance”.
It recommended “applying the same process equally for all candidates and conducting due diligence checks before recommendations for appointment are progressed to Cabinet”.
Ms Palaszczuk was quizzed on the review during today’s Estimates hearing.
She again defended the appointment of Mr Algie but said any recommendations would be adopted.
“First of all cabinet processes were followed and it said very clearly that it did not itself raise a reasonable suspicion of corrupt conduct,” the Premier told the hearing.
“The CCC has written to the under-treasurer at Queensland Treasury who manages these appointments recommending that policies and procedures be revised to improve transparency of GOC appointments into the future.
“We are awaiting any recommendations from the under-treasurer. The under-treasurer will convey that to the director-general and we will put those in place.”
LNP Leader Deb Frecklington also quizzed the Premier as to why she would not release all Mr Bailey’s private emails but she maintained they were now public records and could be accessed under Right to Information.
The CCC reviewed his emails last year but found no evidence of corrupt conduct.
CCC chair Alan Macsporran has said he saw no problem with the emails being released now his investigation has been completed.
The Government is refusing to table them, however.
Instead it is requiring media organisations to make individual applications under RTI.
Clerk quizzed after Big Trev medals claim
LABOR has quizzed Clerk of the Parliament Neil Laurie over the checks made to biographical information about MPs uploaded to the Parliamentary website in the wake of revelations Longman LNP candidate Trevor Ruthenberg wrongly claimed he was awarded a distinguished military honour.
The Courier-Mail revealed last week Mr Ruthenberg had listed on the parliamentary website and a personal website as well as the now defunct former Newman government website that he was awarded a distinguished Australian service medal rather than another Australian defence medal that is awarded to people who have completed four years of military service.
He has since apologised for what he described as an “honest mistake”.
Pine Rivers MP Nikki Boyd asked during this morning’s Budget Estimates session what process was followed before such information was uploaded.
Mr Laurie told that the House MPs first filled out a form and then Parliament compiled that information into a document and sent it back to the MP for checking and sign-off.
“We don’t publish anything until we send back to the member the first version or the amended versions and they sign off on it,” he said.
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CANDIDATE ‘UNFIT FOR ELECTION’
Leader of Opposition Business Jarrod Bleijie took issue with the question.
“Worried about the polls are you?” he interjected in reference to the Longman by-election this weekend.
Committee chair Linus Power ruled it was in order and allowed it.
GOVERNMENT KNEW OF TISSUE TRANSPLANTS
THE Palaszczuk Government was made aware of revelations four Queensland patients including three babies were given heart tissue transplants taken from a donor with brain cancer two days before the scandal was made public.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk defended the timing of the announcement on a Friday afternoon last month while under questioning in Budget Estimates this morning.
She said the Government wanted to ensure the affected families were consulted first before the public were told.
“I am advised that in relation to the tissue issue, that the Minister for Health was advised on June 20,” Ms Palaszczuk told the Estimates hearing.
“They then immediately started contacting the families.
“My office was advised on June 20 and once all the families were contacted and the issue was discussed with all of the families then the chief health officer stood up on June 22.
“It was very quick indeed. As you can appreciate those families did need to be consulted and it was the right thing to do rather than hearing that through the press.”
The Opposition has accused the Government of attempting to bury contentious announcements by announcing them during major sporting events or on a Friday afternoon as happened with the cancer tissue scandal.
LNP Leader Deb Frecklington also quizzed Ms Palaszczuk on the decision to release the Queensland Family and Child Commission report during the Commonwealth Games when it was first handed to the government in October last year.
The Premier sought advice from Attorney-General Yvette D’Ath’s office and told the Committee the report was first reviewed by Ms D’Ath’s department and a briefing note only handed to the Attorney-General on March 15.
It was then tabled almost a month later, on April 12, during the Commonwealth Games.
She defended the timeframe, insisting it was within guidelines as Ms D’Ath had until May 16 to table the report under the rules.
TIQ splashes $289,000 on hospitality
TRADE and Investment Queensland spent almost $300,000 on hospitality last financial year, new figures show.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk was asked a question on notice ahead of today’s Estimates hearing about the expenditure of the body last financial year alone.
She revealed TIQ splashed $289,681 in total wining and dining at events.
“TIQ manages and coordinates or represents the State at numerous functions and events across the globe, including State occasions, official, as well as other community engagement activities, such as industry development forums, regional business community consultations, launches and promotional events,” Ms Palaszczuk said of the expenditure.
That included $8609 spent by the CEO, $10,728 spent by the Agent-General and $270,344 spent across all other TIQ employees.
STATE PARLIAMENT SECURITY RISKS
DOZENS of security risks at State Parliament and the electorate offices of MPs have been reported to police in the past year.
New figures have also revealed that a Stanley knife held by a student was among the dozens of items confiscated by Parliamentary security in the 2017/18 financial year.
In total, there were eight incidents within the parliamentary precinct in 2017/18 which required the attention of police, while there were 46 security incidents at electorate offices.
This included 23 incidents which were referred to the Queensland Fixated Threat Assessment Centre — a joint initiative involving police and Queensland Health.
There were also 100 visitors to State Parliament, including 16 students, who had items confiscated from them by security.
This included pocket knives and scissors as well as a knife held in a holster.
More security cameras are expected to be rolled out around the Parliament in the coming year as part of a $1.5 million five year investment to improve CCTV capabilities.
$135m health bungle: Minister’s apology to affected businesses
Health Minister Steven Miles has apologised to businesses that have suffered delays because of the new Queensland Health payment system.
Hundreds of staff underpaid at Queensland utility
A Queensland Government-owned utility corporation has underpaid hundreds of its senior staff for more than a decade in a bungle that could have ripped off up to a quarter of its workforce.