Julian Leeser (Berowra, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Indigenous Australians) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister and concerns his Code of Conduct for Ministers. Following the breach of the ministerial code by the Minister for Regional Development, Local Government and Territories, I refer to media reports that the Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care has invested in managed funds, or unit trusts, which in turn have significant shareholdings in Australian healthcare businesses or private health insurance businesses. Does the assistant minister have an obligation under clause 3.12 of your ministerial code to notify you of this conflict of interest?

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for his question. I refer to the ministerial code:

Shareholdings

3.11. In recognition of the collective responsibility that Ministers bear in relation to Cabinet decisions, this Code requires that Ministers divest themselves of investments and other interests in any public or private company or business, other than public superannuation funds or publicly listed managed funds or trust arrangements where:

(i) the investments are broadly diversified and the Minister has no influence over investment decisions of the fund or trust—

the assistant minister has completely complied with that—

and

(ii) the fund or trust does not invest to any significant extent in a business sector that could give rise to a conflict of interest with the Minister's public duty.

The assistant minister has complied with that. The assistant minister has advised that she has ensured that she has been compliant with this. The assistant minister also wrote to me this morning to formally advise that she has taken the additional step of divesting all of her interests.