Morrison defends Hockey over Helloworld contract saga

Scott Morrison has defended Joe Hockey after reports of a meeting between embassy staff and representatives of the Liberal treasurer.

Ambassador to the US Joe Hockey, right, with Helloworld chief executive Andrew Burnes at a tourism function in Melbourne in October 2013. Picture: Hamish Blair

Scott Morrison has moved to ­defend US ambassador Joe Hockey against reports he arranged a meeting between the embassy and representatives of the Liberal Party’s treasurer, who was chasing a government contract for his travel company Helloworld.

Labor MPs targeted the former Liberal treasurer, Finance Minister Mathias Cormann and Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton’s reported dealings with party honorary treasurer, and Helloworld chief executive, Andrew Burnes, as they attempt to move the national debate from border protection.

It was reported yesterday that Mr Hockey, who has a more than $1 million stake in Helloworld, helped to arrange a meeting between a subsidiary of Helloworld and embassy staff in 2017 while they were seeking a contract.

Mr Morrison said in question time yesterday the ambassador to the US was not involved in the tender process for which Helloworld applied, and that Labor’s ­attacks were “grubby”.

“The tender process commenced with the register for expressions of interest advertised in August 2018,” he told parliament.

“Mr Hockey has had no role in the tender process. He has declared his business interests in ­accordance with DFAT guidelines. This is just another grubby attempt by the Labor Party to distract attention from one very simple thing … they know they have made a very big mistake in showing up the weakness of their own leader by forcing him to back down to them and come into this place and weaken Australia’s border security arrangements.”

Mr Hockey told Nine’s newspaper arm he was not involved in any meetings with Helloworld and declared his interests in the company to DFAT. The reports into Mr Hockey came after it was revealed Senator Cormann paid for family flights on Monday afternoon for a trip booked by Helloworld a year earlier, just after the company had secured a $25m contract with his department. Senator Cormann has told Senate estimates the flights were not free and he had expected to be billed, but the bill had not arrived.

Labor finance spokesman Jim Chalmers sought to drag the Home Affairs Minister into the saga, asking if Mr Dutton had paid for a trip to Las Vegas with Mr Burnes and Mr Hockey. A spokesman for the minister said Mr Dutton had never booked flights with Helloworld and he had paid for his private Las Vegas trip.

Labor tried but failed to suspend standing orders in the lower house to move a motion calling on Mr Morrison to investigate his MPs’ dealings with Helloworld.