Tuesday, 1 August 2023

Premier conduct

David DAVIS (Southern Metropolitan) (20:06): (338) My matter is for the attention of the Premier. The Premier has made a number of statements in recent weeks about the Operation Daintree report by IBAC. This was a matter of debate of course in public testimony at the Integrity and Oversight Committee hearing on Monday and further on radio this morning – in fact earlier this morning with the Honourable Robert Redlich AM KC, former IBAC Commissioner and a very respected legal person in our land. The Premier in dismissing the Daintree report tried to argue that it was purely educational. This is of course pure nonsense. The report is replete with criticisms and negative commentary about the government’s activities and the government’s decision-making processes. Robert Redlich has since come out and said that actually it is not just simply educational, it is much more than that. He has reinforced the point that this report is a very serious report about the awarding of a $1.2 million contract to a union that was not qualified to deliver the services that were being sought, and it was done without proper process. Was it corrupt? Was it a criminal act? Probably not, and that is what IBAC said.

A member interjected.

David DAVIS: Maybe, but let us just accept at face value that IBAC concluded that it was probably not a criminal matter. But it was improper. It made it very clear that it was entirely and utterly improper, and the negative findings, as I say, are replete through the report. Robert Redlich has spoken publicly and made it clear that the report actually did make negative reflections and criticisms of government. So the action I seek is for the Premier to correct the record, for the Premier to step back and admit that he was wrong, that the report was not a purely educational report, that the report did have negative criticisms and findings about the government. I think he should read the report closely, following what Robert Redlich has said over the last two days.

While I am discussing this, it is important to note what occurred at that inquiry on Monday. The four Labor members – let us be clear what they did – hoed into an eminent Australian, an eminent Victorian, somebody who was on the Court of Appeal for many years, actually a person of huge integrity, and this was clearly a round-up action. They were clearly briefed. They were given questions, and I note some of the commentary in the paper where the Premier’s office and so forth are denying that they provided the questions, but it seems that actually this was a coordinated action, and the Premier needs to come clean. Was he involved? What was his –

The PRESIDENT: Time is up, Mr Davis, and also you know that to make accusations against sitting members should be by substantive motion. You are kind of getting close; you are on the edge.