Concetta Fierravanti-Wells (NSW, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Ageing) Share this | Hansard source

On 18 September, I raised the government's continued hiding of important documents pertaining to the member for Dobell. Tonight I would like to outline the depths to which this government is descending to protect the member for Dobell. Over a year ago, I sought documents under freedom of information regarding the proposed $2.7 million jobs incubator promised at the last election which was to be established as a partnership between the Wyong Shire Council and Central Coast Group Training. The documents I wanted contain representations made by Mr Thomson to ministers regarding this process and especially his efforts to undermine the project for his own vindictive motives.

Despite repeated questioning of Minister Carr and a failed order for production of documents when Labor and their Green alliance partners shut down the debate and despite continued challenges by me to the blocking of access to these documents by DEEWR, the Gillard Labor government went to great lengths to refuse me access to these documents.

As I indicated on 18 September, I was provided with a series of documents by Wyong Shire Council. One of the documents is a letter from the member for Dobell to Minister Garrett dated 20 July 2011. This letter makes it clear that Mr Thomson was deliberately seeking to besmirch the name of then Mayor Eaton and Councillor Best. This letter can in no way be described as the usual communications that occur between local members of parliament and ministers in regard to progress on projects in electorates, which is what Minister Carr told the Senate. Let me read the letter to which this government has gone to great lengths to protect from release. The letter is dated Wednesday 20 July 2011 and it is from Mr Thomson to the Hon. Peter Garrett, Minister for School Education, Early Childhood and Youth:

Dear Minister,

I am writing to ask that you undertake an inquiry into whether the Mayor of Wyong Doug Eaton and Councillor Greg Best misrepresented themselves to your department over a funding application by Wyong Shire council.

Mayor Doug Eaton is Chairman of Central Coast Group Training. Councillor Greg Best is the CEO of Central Coast Group Training which is a not for profit Group Training Company operating out of Tuggerah in my Electorate of Dobell.

Prior to the 2010 election Minister Anthony Albanese announced that Wyong Shire Council in partnership with Central Coast Group Training was to receive funding to establish a Jobs Skills Incubator in Wyong Township on property owned by Wyong Shire Council.

Since that time my office has been dealing with staff of Wyong Shire Council on the progress of their application. I became concerned when it became apparent that Council Staff were not aware of the progress of the application. Subsequently I became aware that Councillors Eaton and Best had met with officers of your department to discuss the progress of the application without the knowledge of relevant staff in Wyong Shire Council.

It appears that when Councillors Best and Eaton met with officers of your department the impression was given that Mayor Eaton was representing Wyong Shire Council and Councillor Best was representing Central Coast Group Training as the original partners in the application. They discussed with your department alternative funding for their preferred project. Council officers dealing with the application only became aware of this visit when they were informed by my office.

The facts are that Council and the CCGT are in disagreement about the model for the Skills Centre. The Mayor did not represent his Council's preferred position on the model for the Skills Centre.

As you know I have been a strong advocate for programs to deal with the issues of unemployment and disadvantage in my electorate. I work closely with many organisations across the Central Coast to look at ways in which we can improve education and the skills levels of job seekers especially young people. Wyong is a particularly disadvantaged area with high unemployment and high social disadvantage. It is essential to ensure that we support programs which directly address these issues.

I am writing to the General Manager of Wyong Shire Council and all Councillors to request that they conduct their own inquiry into this matter.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely

Craig Thomson MP

Member for Dobell

Mr Acting Deputy President, I seek leave to table a copy of that letter.

Leave granted.

Despite all the protestations, it is noteworthy that, after all the trials and tribulations of this matter, when it came before Wyong Shire Council on 10 October 2012 the motion was passed to proceed with the jobs incubator in accordance with the very same joint partnership framework between the council and Central Coast Group Training that made up the original parameters of the announcement. Two years on, the council and CCGT are back to where they started and the young people of the Central Coast still do not have their jobs incubator. So why don't you explain that, Mr Thomson, and why your interference in this process, both at the departmental level and at the council level, has resulted in this lengthy delay where potentially hundreds of hours of training for young people have been lost? Central Coast Group Training have lost hundreds of hours pursuing this matter. You have sought to besmirch their reputation—