Page 2649 - Week 07 - Tuesday, 28 June 2011
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MR SPEAKER: Thank you!
MS BURCH: I don’t hear Mr Coe; I think I was just disturbed by the fact that the Canberra Liberals—and whether it was morally right or not, that is only for them to answer, I believe, Mr Speaker.
In response to the question, the matter of the Canberra Liberals receiving these funds was recently brought to my attention. It came to my attention because the Canberra Liberals falsely claimed in their 2009-10 return to Elections ACT that they received $10,000 from the ACT government, the Department of Territory and Municipal Services. This sparked some internal questions—I wonder why, Mr Speaker—as to whether TAMS provided these funds.
Last week the Community Services Directorate advised me that $10,000 had come from the emergency relief fund that I had just outlined. At that point I instructed the directorate to contact Volunteering ACT, requesting additional information to verify whether the grant was awarded on merit and whether the application met the purpose of funding. A letter from the chief executive has gone to Volunteering ACT seeking a list of the recipients of the 100 gift vouchers and details of the services that those volunteers delivered. This may require Volunteering ACT to contact the Canberra Liberals requesting further information about the 100 volunteers who received the $100 Woolworths voucher. I believe that this is an appropriate course of action, and I have moved quickly on this to ensure that the integrity of Volunteering ACT and these grants have not been undermined.
In the debate in 2008, it is clear that it was never proposed that a political party would be eligible for these funds. I have sought that in all grants from here on political parties will not be eligible. (Time expired.)
MR SPEAKER: Yes, Ms Porter?
MS PORTER: Minister, are you aware of any further action taken by the ACT government to ascertain whether the $10,000 allocated to the Canberra Liberals through this emergency relief fund was appropriately spent?
MS BURCH: I do thank Ms Porter for her question and recognise the work that she has done in volunteering and for Volunteers ACT here. The government’s response to this has extended to what I have outlined. Understandably, the Chief Minister, who delivered the bill that funded this emergency relief, has also sought information about this very concerning use of taxpayer money.
As the Chief Minister outlined on ABC this morning, she has written today to the Leader of the Opposition, expressing her concern. In the letter the Chief Minister invites Mr Seselja, as the leader of the Canberra Liberals parliamentary party, to explain how these $100 Woolworths gift vouchers have been spent and what direct community benefit “your volunteers” provided under the intent of this grant. The Chief Minister has also asked Mr Seselja if he cannot answer these questions, can he return the $10,000 so that the funds can be allocated to another community group.
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