Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure and Transport) Share this | Hansard source

The Sydney Morning Herald's website today quotes Mr Max Moore-Wilton, the chairman of the Sydney Airports Corporation, accusing me of fabrication over my suggestion in this House last night that when he was Secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet in 2002 he would have known about conditions, including a curfew, a movement cap, guaranteed access for regional airlines and a first right of refusal that were applied to the sale of Sydney airport. Mr Moore-Wilton is quoted in this report as calling me a 'grub' and as saying:

Certainly it was not an issue I was involved in.

The facts are these. In a question on notice to a Senate budget estimates committee hearing dated 26-27 May 2003, Senator John Faulkner asked when cabinet had discussed the sale of the airport and whether Mr Moore-Wilton was present. The response from the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet said that full cabinet discussed the sale of the airport on 12 December 2000, 26 March 2001, 24 September 2001 and 11 March 2002. The department reported, and I quote from Hansard:

Mr Moore-Wilton attended all four meetings of Cabinet.

I seek leave to table the question on notice and the answer.

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