ACT Government: Chris Steel survives no-confidence vote

ACT Skills Minister Chris Steel has survived the no-confidence vote brought against him by Opposition Leader Elizabeth Lee. Find out what happened.

ACT Skills Minister Chris Steel has survived a motion of no-confidence brought against him by ACT Opposition Leader Elizabeth Lee.

The no-confidence motion was brought against Mr Steel amid controversy surrounding “unusual” Canberra Institute of Technology (CIT) contracts.

On Tuesday it came to light that since 2017 the CIT procured numerous contracts worth $8.87 million were awarded to one person and linked entities to provide mentoring to the CEO of CIT.

Ms Lee claimed the most recent contract, signed in march, was valued at $5 million.

She claimed the contractor’s services increased from $1000 per today to now costing the taxpayer $10,000 per day.

“To have someone essentially on a retainer costing $10,000 a day to mentor the CEO raises serious questions about the use of taxpayers’ money,” Ms Lee said on Tuesday.

ACT Opposition Leader Elizabeth Lee’s motion against ACT Skills Minister Chris Steel has failed in the ACT Assembly. Picture: Julia Kanapathippillai

During Question Time on Tuesday, Mr Steel told the assembly he was aware of the contracts in March last year, drawing the ire of the opposition leader.

In moving her motion of no confidence in the Assembly on Wednesday, Ms Lee accused Mr Steel of failing to act.

During her speech she accused ACT Labor and ACT Greens of running a protection racket and called for members of the ACT Greens to vote for the motion, if they valued transparency and integrity.

Chief Minister Andrew Barr spoke against the motion and described her motion as a stunt.

“Politics, politics politics,” He said.

“You’re going after the Minister personally.

“Do better, do better.

“Politics can be better than this.”

Mr Barr also told the Chamber it would be illegal for Mr Steel to interfere with the procurements of the CIT.

Labor MLA’s Mick Gentleman and Marisa Paterson both described the motion as a ‘media stunt.”

ACT Skills Minister Chris Steel has survived a no-confidence vote against him. Picture: Supplied

Greens leader and Attorney-General Shane Rattenbury said he agreed the CIT contracts needed to be investigated but spoke against the no-confidence motion, stating MLAs were here to govern not to “give headlines”.

He accused Lee of seeking the “political death penalty” for Mr Steel “before the trial has begun” and told the chamber the auditor general was the “best mechanism we have” to investigate the contracts.

Despite heated partisan debate in the Chamber one thing MLAs from both sides of the aisle agreed on was that the CIT contracts in question didn’t pass ‘the pub test’.

Ms Lee’s motion ultimately failed to pass with seven voting in favour and 15 against.

This isn’t the first time Ms Lee has moved a no-confidence motion.

Earlier this year Ms Lee moved a motion of no confidence against Education Minister Yvette Berry following controversy surrounding the Calwell High School.