Marie-Clare Boothby calls on Chief Minister to identify minister who brought Turf Club proposal to Cabinet

The CLP has upped the ante in the Turf Club scandal, calling on Chief Minister Michael Gunner to identify which minister brought the $12 million proposal to Cabinet.

THE CLP has upped the ante in the Turf Club scandal, calling on Chief Minister Michael Gunner to identify which minister brought the $12 million proposal to Cabinet.

Opposition spokesman for Racing, Gaming and Licensing Marie-Clare Boothby said on Tuesday Mr Gunner needs to “stop hiding behind the Covid-19 outbreak” and provide more details about his government’s role in the scandal.

She recalled that in 2018 Mr Gunner said “We are happy for the ICAC to investigate any decision we make, as a government”.

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“If he’s happy for scrutiny, he should release the Cabinet Papers or, at the very least, identify which Minister brought the Fannie Bay proposal to Cabinet and which adviser had briefed the Minister the grandstand deserved $12 million,” she said.

Ms Boothby said Mr Gunner and his Ministers should be scrutinised further.

“ (Mr) Gunner and other Labor Ministers including Manison and Fyles keep putting out that the ICAC made no findings against Government or any Minister,” she said.

“In fact, the ICAC found the conduct of the Department of Trade, Business and Innovation involved negligence or incompetence and resulted in a substantial mismanagement of public resources and substantial detriment to the public interest.

“This did not happen in a bubble. There is a chain of command – and Territorians won’t cop the Chief Minister and his Racing Minister trying to sweep this under the carpet.”

Ms Boothby said it remains unclear how much scrutiny the Mininsters faced, or if they were questioned or subject to an examination by ICAC.

Mr Gunner has denied he nor any of his fellow ministers had any knowledge of his former chief of staff Alf Leonardi’s dealings.

Mr Gunner said earlier that the ICAC report had cleared him and his frontbench of any improper dealings.

He further said that he had no knowledge of his former chief of staff’s dealings.

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