Page 3875 - Week 10 - Thursday, 27 August 2009
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
How detailed will it be? Will the commission be investigating the activities of people who have been alleged to have influenced the sale, or halting of the sale, of the Canberra Labor Club Group? Will the commission be inquiring of the board what influence other people may have brought to bear on the sale, or halting of the sale, of the Canberra Labor Club Group?
If the commission does not exercise these powers, will the minister be asking for reasons for not doing so and presenting a response to the Assembly? Will the commission be requiring documents or records from those who have been reported as having influenced the sale, or halting of the sale, of the Canberra Labor Club Group, including the Labor Party administrative committee? Will the commission be requiring documents or records from the board of the Labor Club Group regarding communications with those who have been reported as having influenced the sale, or halting of the sale, of the Canberra Labor Club Group, including the Labor Party administrative committee?
Will the commission be requesting interviews, statements or evidence from those who have been reported as having influenced the sale, or halting of the sale, of the Canberra Labor Club Group, including the Labor Party administrative committee? Will the commission be requesting interviews, statements or evidence from the board of the Labor Club Group regarding communications with those who have been reported as having influenced the sale, or halting of the sale, of the Canberra Labor Club Group, including Labor Party administrative committee?
If the commission does not exercise these powers, will the minister be asking for the reasons for not doing so and presenting the response to the Assembly? Will the report contain reports of those interviewed, by whom, and what their testimony was? Will a list of documents requested and the results of those requests be included? Will the Assembly have time to consider the matters and have the questions noted answered? Will the methodology of conducting the investigation form part of the final report, or are only conclusions included?
These are questions which remain outstanding. We do not know what detail this investigation will have. It is very difficult, given the lack of detail that has been given on these very questions. I would ask the minister to speak again and answer all these questions or inform the Assembly by the close of business today of the answers to these questions. This is critical for our knowing how extensive this investigation will be.
We have raised questions. We have raised questions about the government potentially investigating members of the government. That is what is at stake here. That is the potential. We have a public servant being put in a very difficult—virtually impossible—position in relation to this.
On the broader issue, these claims were raised by the president of the Labor Club Group. We do not know what his rationale was for making these claims; we do not know what his rationale was for writing this letter. But he felt compelled, for whatever reason, to write this letter to a number of individuals in the Labor Party and to ask these questions.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .