Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme) Share this | Hansard source

I'm getting advice that we should be careful. I think you guys should have been a lot more careful when you were in charge. Potential issues include—these are serious matters—the procurement documents, the assessment of alternative products, who was the responsible officer for this project, how did they satisfy themselves that it was value for money. So yet again, there seems to be an association between the missing member for Fadden, dodgy contracts and controversy.

The CEO has confirmed that the contract was initiated when the member for Fadden was minister. I can now advise the parliament it has been referred to a forensic auditor. Staff have been referred to the APSC Commissioner. It was not ruled out going to the National Anti-Corruption Commission. And what we also heard in committees yesterday—and it was a bit ironic listening to some of the earlier questions from the opposition today—is a parliamentary committee chaired by the member for Macquarie has reviewed whether or not the former MP declared his friendship with the consultants Synergy 360. No conflict of interest was ever declared by the then member for Fadden—yet again.

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