Ms O'CONNOR question to MINISTER for SPORT and RECREATION, Mr STREET
The Bracknell Football Club has received tens of thousands of dollars through pork-barrel grants at each of the 2014, 2018 and 2021 state elections. Many, many other local football clubs have missed out. Your colleague, the member for Lyons, Mark Shelton, is a life member of the Bracknell Football Club. We do not think this is a coincidence.
On discovering the fact that $400 000 was secretly promised for the replacement of Bracknell hall, we looked into the matter. Surprise, surprise! At the time of the 2020 21 election and ever since, MP for Lyons Mark Shelton and three members of his immediate family all sit as members on the Bracknell Hall Committee - cosy. Is this why your Government kept secret this $400 000 promise, noting it was not in last year's budget but was in a budget glossy for Lyons as an election commitment? How do you explain this clear conflict of interest to the Tasmanian people?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, the information I have in front of me is that the old Bracknell Hall commitment was one of four community sport and recreation sector grants be provided to further support the Tasmanian community in addition to funding already provided through the 2020 21 state election commitments. The additional three community projects supported with funding were the St Helens Pump Track, the Australian Rules History and Heritage Museum and the Kingborough Sport Centre upgrades.
The Tasmanian Government continues to provide significant investment in the development of high-quality and well planned sport and recreation and community facilities across the state. Significant investment in community sport and recreation facilities also supports community and economic recovery from the impacts of COVID-19. These important upgrades will provide facilities and benefits to the wider Bracknell community using the hall.
The simple fact is that every member of this place has relationships and memberships in community and sporting organisations outside of this place.
Ms O'Connor - Yes, but they do not have access to the Treasury. We are trying to get to the bottom of this money.
Mr SPEAKER - Order.
Mr STREET - I do not believe, Mr Speaker, that a member of this place with membership of a committee at a particular community facility should bar that particular facility from receiving state government support if we deem it appropriate.
Ms O'CONNOR - Point of order, Mr Speaker. We are concerned that the minister is misleading the House. He has tried to claim this funding was not an election commitment. We have a grant deed -
Mr SPEAKER - What is the point of order?
Ms O'CONNOR - Mr Speaker, I dissent from your ruling.
Mr Ferguson interjecting.
Ms O'CONNOR - Point of order, Mr Speaker, under standing order 152, I move dissent from your ruling.
Mr Ferguson - What ruling?
Ms O'CONNOR - The ruling is that the point of order I raised is not a point of order when it clearly is a point of order.
Mr SPEAKER - Ms O'Connor, you misheard me. I said, 'What is the point of order?'.
Ms O'CONNOR - The point of order is that the minister has misled the House by claiming that that was not an election commitment and tried to sit down before answering the question - standing order 152.
Mr Ferguson - The Speaker had not ruled on that.
Ms O'CONNOR - He had ruled it was not a point of order.
Mr Ferguson - He asked you a question.
Ms O'CONNOR - We have a problem here because the Speaker is conflicted in this role.
Mr SPEAKER - Ms O'Connor, first of all, I had not made a ruling. I was asking what the point of order was. There was no ruling and you cannot dissent from it if I have not made one. That is the first point.
The second point is that if you believe that any member has misled the House, then you have, by way of substantive motion, an opportunity to move motions as you see fit.
Ms O'CONNOR - On the point of order, the minister sat down without answering the question, so relevance is the point of order here.
Mr Ferguson - You're exposed.
Ms O'CONNOR - Exposed? We have just had a minister tell this House it is not an election commitment when there are minutes to the Premier stating it is. We have a Speaker in the Chair who is potentially conflicted.
Mr Ferguson - You came ready.
Mr SPEAKER - Again, I cannot control the way ministers answer questions. I cannot tell them what to say, or when they choose to sit down. They sit down when they believe they have completed the answer. I cannot do anything about that.