Adjournment
Mr LEANE (Eastern Metropolitan—Minister for Local Government, Minister for Suburban Development, Minister for Veterans) (17:29): I move:
That the house do now adjourn.
Multicultural community grants
Mr ONDARCHIE (Northern Metropolitan) (17:29): (1932) My adjournment matter tonight is for the Minister for Multicultural Affairs, and it concerns the allocation of grants, a topic which has been discussed in this house in detail. These grants bring great benefits to all our great multicultural communities, but we must ensure that these grants are distributed fairly and equally. There is a growing sentiment in our multicultural communities that some individuals and groups are getting approved for grants because of their links to the Premier or senior ministers or their staff. In last week’s Public Accounts and Estimates Committee hearings the department confirmed the buck stops with the minister. She is the one that signs off on the grants. Yet they were unable to detail if this process has changed from the previous minister—which resulted in alleged corruption which is now before IBAC. Victorians have stated they want a government that has integrity, a government that has transparency and a government that has nothing to hide, and this government’s track record is anything but honest and transparent. Minister, the action I seek is for you to outline the process for handling a conflict of interest in the allocation of grants and detail how many times ministers and their staff have removed themselves from these decisions. It is vital that this process is fair and merit based so that all Victorians can enjoy what our great multicultural communities do with these grants.