Wednesday, 18 October 2023

Commonwealth Games

David DAVIS (Southern Metropolitan) (12:14): (307) My question is again to Minister Shing. The Office of the Commonwealth Games testified to the parliamentary committee that it and DJSIR provided the minister with regular briefings from April 2023 onwards that included budget blowouts. Mr Garner told the parliamentary committee that:

Later Minister Shing, when she was appointed, was there. They varied – sometimes Minister Allan was not there and Minister Shing was there, sometimes they were both there and sometimes it was just Minister Shing.

I therefore ask: when the then minister claimed at PAEC on 8 June that $2.6 billion would deliver the games and the legacy housing venues, by this point the athletes village alone had blown out by over $1 billion.

Members interjecting.

The PRESIDENT: If I accepted a question to the minister about something that she was associated with, it would be a bad precedent for me to set. Maybe, Mr Davis, do you want to try and rephrase?

David DAVIS: President, she did respond to the previous question and did put a great deal on the record about briefings on cost blowouts on housing.

The PRESIDENT: Her response was relevant to her current responsibilities as the Minister for Housing. I am happy for you to put a question to the Minister for Housing that relates to housing.

David DAVIS: But this was the Commonwealth Games and now it is Commonwealth Games housing, which she said she would answer.

The PRESIDENT: I am offering for you to rephrase.

David DAVIS: Within the briefings that the minister referred to in her first answer and in the context of these blowouts, at what point did she become aware of the massive –

Harriet Shing interjected.

David DAVIS: No, you have mentioned them. You talked about them.

Harriet Shing interjected.

David DAVIS: No, it was not a context. I just asked about briefings on that, but you indicated you had seen such briefings. So my question is –

Members interjecting.

The PRESIDENT: Order! Mr Davis, could you start your rephrased question from the top, please.

David DAVIS: I therefore ask, in the context of the minister’s answer to the previous question and the fact that she responded on briefings on blowouts on housing: when the then minister claimed at PAEC on 8 June that $2.6 billion would deliver the games and the legacy housing and venues, she knew at that time it had blown out by over $1 billion.

The PRESIDENT: It is all right to relate a question to the minister’s previous answer, but her answer was around briefings around housing since she has been the Minister for Housing, not around the previous role that she had. I am ruling it out.