Cassy O'Connor MP | Greens Leader
Premier Jeremy Rockliff’s reputation has taken another hit after his refusal to admit providing false information to the House in Parliament today.
On 14 June, the Greens asked the Premier about the Liberals’ dodgy election grant program, the Local Community Facilities Fund. He told us the provision of funding to LCFF grant recipients depended first on his party being elected to government, and secondly on “the election promise being funded, included in the Budget, and the Budget being agreed to by Parliament.”
This statement is untrue. As revealed in documented obtained by the Greens under Right to Information, we know 111 of these projects were not included in the 2021-22 Budget.
The evidence the Premier misled Parliament is black and white, but in a performance worthy of Scott Morrison or Angus Taylor, Jeremy Rockliff has refused to correct the Parliamentary record.
Jeremy Rockliff’s shameful attempts at denial were accompanied by pathetic attempts by himself and Treasurer Michael Ferguson to justify their government’s inappropriate use of the Treasurer’s Reserve.
Minister Ferguson may have used debate on an unrelated Supply Bill last year to mention the Liberals’ having funded election commitments through the Treasurer’s Reserve. That doesn’t change the fact that at least 111 of the Liberals’ election promises were funded through an inappropriate process, without the knowledge or approval of Parliament.
The simple truth is that the Liberals ran a secretive and shonky grants process through the 2021 State Election campaign, did their best to avoid Parliamentary scrutiny when funding more than half their election promises, a Minister and Premier have misled Parliament about this process, the Minister apologised, and now the Premier refuses to admit any wrong.
If the Liberals think they’re going to get away with this, they’ve got another thing coming.