Thursday, 23 February 2023

Member conduct

David DAVIS (Southern Metropolitan) (12:09): (51) My question is to the Minister for Agriculture. I refer to the decision of Minister Danny Pearson to award a $31 million contract under the Business Recovery Energy Efficiency Fund, including funding for Bega Cheese, while he had up to $10,000 in Bega Cheese shares. I ask the minister: given your current responsibilities as Minister for Agriculture, will you immediately review this grant to Bega Cheese and the obvious stench of corruption around it?

The PRESIDENT: I do not think that is a question that relates to the minister’s role and the administration of her responsibilities to the executive.

David Davis: On a point of order, President, very clearly I have asked the minister whether she will review the grant, given her current responsibilities. It is given to an agriculture sector body that she has in fact given grants to, and she is responsible –

The PRESIDENT: Mr Davis, once again you are debating your point of order. I am happy to call the minister. She can answer as she sees fit.

Gayle TIERNEY (Western Victoria – Minister for Training and Skills, Minister for Higher Education, Minister for Agriculture) (12:11): I thank the member for the question. Again, I would encourage Mr Davis to read the general order. This is not within my portfolio. It might be in another portfolio, but it is not mine.

David DAVIS (Southern Metropolitan) (12:11): Actually she has given grants to Bega Cheese herself. It is clearly, squarely within the agriculture area, and clearly it is a matter of significance to the sector that the grants have been made in the way they were made. I therefore ask: will you review any other grants made by departments administered by Danny Pearson over the last four years to entities within the agriculture sector to ensure no grants to entities in the agriculture sector were made where a conflict of interest or perceived conflict of interest may have existed.

The PRESIDENT: Mr Davis, I invited the minister to answer that as she saw fit. She answered that it is not within her remit as far as her responsibility to the administration goes, and I am not going to put the supplementary question.

David DAVIS: I move:

That the minister’s response be taken into account on the next day of meeting.

Motion agreed to.