‘Sorry’ Jackie Trad stands by ill-fated house investment deal

Queensland’s former deputy premier Jackie Trad has given a spirited defence of her actions over the purchase of an investment house.

Queensland Labor Member for South Brisbane Jackie Trad speaks during proceedings at Parliament House in Brisbane on Thursday. Picture: AAP

Queensland’s former deputy premier Jackie Trad has given a spirited defence of her actions surround the purchase of an investment house which helped lead to her political downfall.

Speaking in parliament, Ms Trad said she had spoken to her husband, Damien Van Brunschot, about his purchase of the property in inner suburban Woolloongabba before missing the deadline for officially declaring the investment on her register of interests.

The house, which her husband bought or $600,000, was near the $5.6b Cross River Rail project, which Ms Trad was in charge of at the time.

Ms Trad told parliament that she had informed the Clerk of the parliament, Neil Laurie, of the investment but had admitted being six weeks late in officially declaring it.

She insisted she had made no secret of the house purchase.

“There is absolutely no evidence of dishonesty because I did not act in a dishonest way,” she said.

She was speaking during debate on integrity legislation aimed at tightening rules covering pecuniary interest registers and increasing penalties for breaching them.

Ms Trad resigned for the Queensland cabinet last month after enduring months of controversy over the scandal following news that the Crime and Corruption commission was investigating her involvement on an unrelated matter involving the appointment of a principal at a new school in her electorate.

“I fundamentally believe in being accountable and I owe this explanation to he people of my community,” Ms Trad said.

She issued a “sincere apology” to her husband.

“Damien has been unjustifiably demonised through this whole episode and for that and to him I simply say sorry,” she said.

Ms Trad has said she will recontest her seat of South Brisbane despite growing support for the Greens Party in the electorate.

She told parliament that her husband bought the investment property using money from the sale of some of his business interests.

She said she had sought the advice of Mr Laurie “early and often” ahead of declaring the house in her pecuniary interests.

“It has been misconstrued in the media that my husband neglected to tell me about the house, which is why I failed to disclose it.”

“But of course he told me after he had purchased the house … so any failure to disclose it formally within the time frame was not his fault.”

“It was my fault and I have apologised repeatedly for that.”

She said despite telling the clerk of the parliament about the change in her pecuniary interests, she failed to follow up with a properly signed form detailing the purchase.

“At no stage did I hide or omit the purchase of this house,” she said.

However, she defended being late with her declaration of the house, saying such behaviour was common among MPs.

“I was six weeks late in formally finalising the declaration of his property but had provided information verbally and in written form to the clerk.”

“But as the CCC found, there was no evidence of corruption or dishonesty.”