Dr WOODRUFF question to MINISTER for SPORT and RECREATION, Mr STREET
You said in our conversation in budget Estimates last week that the full list of projects supported through the local communities facilities fund had been funded and listed in the 2021 22 state budget. You used that claim as the basis for refusing to provide this information to the committee. The projects were not listed in that Budget; your claim is false. In fact, the list of projects funded by Liberal Party election promises are not publicly available anywhere, either deliberately or - and we hope this is the case - you were ignorant when you misled parliament in that Estimates committee. Can you please correct the record on this matter now and also table a complete list of the projects that were supported under this fund?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, members of all political parties often become patrons or vice-patrons of community organisations at the request of that organisation. Those details are typically listed on a member's pecuniary interest register to avoid any perception of a conflict of interest. Being a patron of an organisation does not confer privileges on that organisation but nor should it preclude any organisation from seeking a commitment during an election period or seeking funding, for example, in a budget submission.
Dr WOODRUFF - Point of order, Mr Speaker, under standing order 45. I am not talking about patrons or anything to do with that. I simply wanted the minster to correct the mistake he made last week and not mislead parliament.
Mr SPEAKER - Order. I take your point of order as far as relevance. The minister has had less than 30 seconds to answer. I hope members will always allow ministers to make a substantial contribution before they interject and call on relevance.
Mr STREET - Decisions related to election promises are a matter for individual political parties. The Greens may well decide to provide funding to key environmental organisations, for example, and there is nothing wrong with their decision to do that.
That promise, alongside all promises of all political parties are put before the voters during an election. The voters decide which political party will form government. It is then up to the elected government to decide whether to honour and fund that election promise and to include that funding in the budget. All our election commitments were funded in last year's budget that passed through parliament.
Dr Woodruff - They were not detailed. I asked for the list.
Mr SPEAKER - Order.
Mr STREET - The local communities facility fund was listed in last year's budget that passed through parliament and every commitment in that fund was publicly announced during the election campaign so they were presented to the people and the people made a choice on who they voted for.
Dr Woodruff - It was not in the Budget.
Mr STREET - They were presented to the people and the people made a choice on who they voted for. We then formed Government and funded those through the Budget, as is done at every election.