Jacinta Collins (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for School Education and Workplace Relations) Share this | Hansard source

During that time of the Godwin Grech affair, Senator Sinodinos was in a private sector job with the National Australia Bank, emailing as the Regional General Manager Government Business Performance and GoNASB Professional Development, according to the documents that were tabled in the Senate with the report. One questions why Senator Sinodinos—Mr Sinodinos at the time—was conspiring with a senior public servant who was leaking false information to the press. We know that is what Godwin Grech was doing. Was this core business for the National Australia Bank? Senator Sinodinos was also implicated in Mr Grech's making special effort for a strong financial donor to the Liberal Party and he also knew of Mr Grech's lies to the then Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. These are all matters that have been tabled before the Senate. Senator Sinodinos has, it seems, a long history of blurring the lines, exercising poor judgement and acting in his and the Liberal Party's own interest, yet this is the man Tony Abbott trusts for advice.

My next set of questions relates to the intricate web of Liberal Party entities to which Senator Sinodinos has belatedly declared his directorship. As the former president of the New South Wales division of the Liberal Party, what role did Senator Sinodinos play in the establishment of these entities? Why is it necessary for the Liberal Party to operate such an impenetrably treat complex corporate structure? What tax benefits does the Liberal Party derive from this structure? Can Senator Sinodinos guarantee that the Liberal Party has not utilised this tricky corporate arrangement to evade its tax obligations or its workers compensation, insurance, superannuation or other obligations?

Senator Sinodinos was appointed to a casual vacancy in late 2011. Shortly thereafter, he submitted a statement of private interests that omitted directorships of several companies: Move to Live, Firestick ICT, Bunori, Liberal Asset Management (Custodians), and Liberal Properties Ltd.He had failed to declare directorships— (Time expired)