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

Mr Acting Deputy President, I seek leave to speak for up to 20 minutes.

Leave granted.

I have previously raised matters regarding the member for Dobell. Tonight I would like to disclose further transgressions by Mr Thomson regarding his failure to disclose company directorships and association involvements in his register of interests. Despite his protestations of no wrongdoing, the damning evidence against Mr Thomson is mounting day by day.

Previously, I have detailed to the Senate the connection between Mr Thomson, Mr Williamson and CommuniGraphix. Both men denied that they had received credit cards on the account of Mr Gilleland, the owner of the printing company which has a $680,000 a year contract with the Health Services Union East Branch. Not surprisingly, we today see a report in the HeraldSun which demonstrates that, yet again, the member for Dobell has been caught out. The report says:

Senior NSW Police have been informed by American Express in the US that Mr Thomson and Health Services Union boss Michael Williamson were both supplied with credit cards by John Gilleland.

Communigraphix, a graphic design business run by Mr Gilleland, has received hundreds of thousands of dollars each year to produce the HSU newsletter, Health Standard.

Senior police sources say Mr Thomson—who would be forced to resign from Parliament if charged and ultimately found guilty—had use of the American Express card for two years.

There is no doubt that this will place much more pressure on the Prime Minister's continued support of Mr Thomson. The use of the American Express cards forms part of the New South Wales police investigation into allegations of financial wrongdoing by the two men. As the article correctly point out, Mr Thomson could face up to seven years' jail if charged and found guilty of receiving secret commissions after police confirmed he received an American Express card from a union supplier and that under New South Wales law people found to have received an inducement to behave in a certain way may face criminal charges and a potential jail sentence of seven years.

Interestingly, the article states that 'well placed sources claim he will argue that he had the card only briefly'. Two years, Mr Thomson, is not briefly. The Herald Sun 'believes New South Wales police have been told unofficially by American Express of the existence of the Gilliland cards and were awaiting documents'. Despite this, Mr Thomson maintains, 'I have done nothing wrong'. So much for the comprehensive statement he was going to make to parliament. Today's revelations well and truly up the ante for the Prime Minister and for Mr Thomson. The article sums it up:

The explosive developments will rock the Gillard government, which is relying on Mr Thomson fending off multiple allegations that he rorted union funds.

I now turn to other transgressions. As we in this place are all aware, members and senators are required to make certain disclosures on their register of interests. Following revelations about the payment by the New South Wales branch of the Australian Labor Party of Mr Thomson's legal fees, we suddenly saw Mr Thomson lodge an update of his statement. It states:

In May 2011, the Australian Labor Party New South Wales branch paid a sum of money in settlement of a legal matter to which I was party.

There has been speculation that the amount paid was $40,000, $90,000 and $150,000. I understand the figure is as much as a quarter of a million dollars.

As at 21 September, ASIC records show that Mr Thomson has been the director of a company called Dads in Education Ltd since 19 February 2009. The registered office of this company is 300 Main Road, Cardiff in New South Wales and its principal place of business is at 80 North Crescent, Wyoming, New South Wales. Both appear to be residential premises. The company was registered on 24 January 2006. There have been reports which have described this company as a charity, however, the company is not currently registered for GST nor, more importantly, is it entitled to receive tax deductible gifts. It is not an endorsed entity listed on the ATO website of deductible gift recipients, nor does it appear on the list of deductible gift recipient funds, authorities and institutions. Mr Thomson has failed to disclose his directorship of Dads in Education Ltd on his register of interests. Since becoming a director on 19 February 2009, Mr Thomson has not included this directorship in updates or in his declaration lodged on 20 October 2010.

On the last occasion, I spoke of Mr Thomson's involvement in Coastal Voice Community Group Inc. I would remind the Senate that this entity is currently in the process of cancellation by the Fair Trading Commissioner in New South Wales. We await the results and investigation by the Fair Trading Commissioner. The Fair Trading extract shows that Mr Thomson, despite his assertions to the contrary, still remains the public officer of Coastal Voice and has been so since 3 May 2006. In what appears to be his original declaration lodged on 11 March 2008, Mr Thomson did not disclose his public officer status of Coastal Voice, nor has he done so since either in any update or in the declarations lodged on 11 March 2008 or on that lodged on 20 March 2010.

My question is: what else has Mr Thomson failed to disclose? What other matters is the member for Dobell hiding? His conduct with Dads in Education and Coastal Voice demonstrates the pattern with Mr Thomson—non-disclosure of matters but, when challenged, he denies the allegations. Subsequently, they seem to be proved to be correct, thereby exposing Mr Thomson for being untruthful and deceptive in his conduct. This is contempt of this parliament. I call on Mr Thomson to make full and proper disclosure of all matters immediately.

The Australian Labor Party has bleated continuously about standards and accused the coalition in government of a range of issues regarding conduct and disclosure. Well, the shoe is now well and truly on the other foot. I say to the Prime Minister: stop protecting Mr Thomson and uphold the parliamentary standards that you continually allege should be followed. The Prime Minister is running around the country saying she has full confidence in the member for Dobell. This is a person who not only has committed grave transgressions in relation to his union activities, which are currently under investigation by both the New South Wales and the Victorian police, but also has failed to disclose to the parliament material facts about his corporate connections.

All members and senators have obligations to the parliament. Mr Thomson has failed to meet those obligations. He must, at the very least, make a full disclosure to the parliament as he promised to do so. Mr Thomson may now claim to hide behind the investigations but matters pertinent to the corporate involvements I have detailed this evening should be properly disclosed. This is a serious matter. Day in, day out, the Prime Minister rants and raves in parliament about parliamentary standards. I say to the Prime Minister: practise what you preach. Don't just talk about parliamentary standards. Comply with the standards; uphold them and uphold those standards that you daily bark at your opponents. Prime Minister, I call on you to show some leadership. Have the backbone to ensure that Mr Thomson fully complies with his obligations.

I now turn to some local matters in Dobell. On Tuesday 20 September 2010, I detailed a number of issues concerning the member for Dobell, his behaviour and his lack of attention to his electorate of Dobell. Today, as American Express confirmed that a credit card was indeed issued to Craig Thomson, we are still waiting for Mr Thomson to make his promised statement to the other place. Mr Thomson's sense of entitlement and his arrogance continue still to be in evidence in his electorate of Dobell. I would like to detail some examples of this arrogance. Take the example of the official opening of the Mardi pipeline project in his electorate on 30 August. Due to the ongoing media and political pressure, Mr Thomson decided not to attend the event and declined the invitation. Given the importance of this project, there were indications the Prime Minister would attend but, alas, the scrutiny of the good burghers of Dobell would have been too much to endure. Thus it was left to Senator Don Farrell to represent the Prime Minister and the government at the official opening of the Mardi-Mangrove pipeline on 30 August. Also in attendance was the member for Robertson, Deborah O'Neill, the Mayor of Wyong and Councillor Chris Burke representing the Gosford City Council, and the former members for Dobell and Robertson, Ken Ticehurst and Jim Lloyd, who were strong advocates for the project.

A plaque that was especially ordered for the official opening correctly reflected that the project was opened by Senator the Hon. Don Farrell representing the Prime Minister and the government and the mayors of Gosford and Wyong councils. The Wyong mayor at the time was Councillor Doug Eaton. I have a picture here of Ms O'Neill standing alongside Senator Farrell at the official opening with the media. The website of the Gosford/Wyong Councils' Water Authority carried news of the official opening complete with a photo of Senator Farrell, Ms O'Neill, Mayor Eaton and Councillor Burke. The article states:

History was made today with the first drops of water pumped along the $120 million Mardi-Mangrove Link, the Central Coast's largest infrastructure project in decades.

The system was officially turned on at a special ceremony at Mardi Dam by Wyong Shire Council Mayor Doug Eaton, Gosford City Councillor Chris Burke representing Gosford City Council Mayor Laurie Maher and Parliamentary Secretary for Sustainability and Urban Water Senator Don Farrell. The ceremony was also attended by current and past Gosford City and Wyong Shire councillors and local members of parliament.

Hence it was with a degree of surprise that I noted a media alert dated 7 October from Wyong and Gosford councils announcing the 'historic opening to celebrate the achievement of the Mardi-Mangrove Pipeline link' on Sunday 16 October. But, hold on, didn't we have a proper opening on 30 August—or is that the opening you have when you do not have an opening? The media alert also said that the ceremony would involve the plaque unveiling by Wyong Shire Mayor Bob Graham and Gosford City Councillor Chris Burke, representing Gosford City Mayor Laurie Maher, federal member for Shortland Jill Hall, federal member for Robertson Deborah O'Neill and, yes, in a surprise appearance, none other than the missing member for Dobell, Craig Thomson. Perhaps my campaign about who is representing the people of Dobell is having some effect, because we are now starting to see Mr Thomson making the odd guest appearance. Councillor Bob Graham recently replaced Councillor Eaton as Mayor of Wyong. I am informed that Mr Thomson and Councillor Graham have a close relationship and are in regular communication. I also understand that Councillor Graham has been strongly supporting Mr Thomson over the last few months since his problems hit the headlines.

This would be the second official opening of this project, and we are led to understand that Wyong Council has ordered a second plaque for this event that will also reflect the attendance of Ms O'Neill, Ms Hall and, of course, Mr Thomson and his friend Mayor Graham. The media alert of 7 October states that a media release will be issued in the week before the event. Presumably the cost of both openings and both plaques will be paid for by the ratepayers of Wyong and Gosford, all to pander to the egos of Mr Thomson, Councillor Graham and other local Labor luminaries. One would hope that the media release will explain the need for a second opening and justify the additional cost to ratepayers.

While Craig Thomson has spent the previous weeks fighting for his political survival and hiding out from the media and his constituents, the Central Coast Group Training Skills Centre, the jobs incubator, is still to see the promised hand-on-heart funding Mr Thomson and Minister Albanese promised in July 2010, on the eve of the election. After marketing this initiative as a key election commitment and as a further indication of the government's commitment to skills and training, Craig Thomson and the government have yet to deliver on this sacred campaign promise to CCGT. I would like to take some time to highlight inconsistencies in the process and actions and statements of both the government and the department upon which CCGT has reasonably relied. This grant was announced by Minister Albanese and Craig Thomson at their request in the offices of CCGT Ltd in July last year—some 14 months ago. In April this year CCGT received correspondence from the Department of Employment, Education and Workplace Relations advising it that the grant was now available.

Incredibly the department twice extended its deadline for the application. The first was due to its own administrative error and that was until the close of business on 10 August. And then for reasons unknown, but which I think are now obvious, it was extended until the close of business on 22 August. I also note that the CCGT lodged their formal application with the department on time in accordance with the published closing date for applications. It would now appear, incredibly, that the department accepted an application from Wyong Council lodged by the new 22 August deadline but at 10.25 that night. It likely explains the reasons behind the second extension. This application, of some 10 pages, does not comply with the guidelines compared to the CCGT fully compliant 120-page application.

At this stage it would be useful to remind this place of Craig Thomson's conduct in relation to CCGT. When announcing the funding for the skills centre in July last year, Mr Thomson said they were committed to moving the local economy forward by creating jobs and training opportunities for young people. Mr Thomson went on to say that this centre was the coast's most progressive employment initiative and that this pilot program would be keenly reviewed with a view to establish further skills centres. In fact, Mr Thomson was so supportive of the skills centre that he attempted to get a position for his ex-wife, Christa Thomson at the centre and he used his parliamentary email to send her resume and contact number to the centre with a message that read: 'Hi Alison, here is Christa's resume as discussed and you can give her a call on ... Regards Craig Thomson'. Then, when annoyed with Councillor Best over his criticism of the GP superclinic during a local radio interview, Mr Thomson turned around and threatened that funding commitment by sending Councillor Best, who is also the CEO of CCGT, a text message that read, 'Bye-bye job incubator.' This begs the question of whether this new funding application, which is supported by Labor councillors from Wyong Council in opposition to the application from CCGT, is Mr Thomson's way of delivering his 'Bye-bye job incubator' threat to CCGT.

The Gillard government and the department have represented in numerous letters and correspondence that CCGT would receive the grant funding, and have induced CCGT to expend its scarce funds in preparing an application—funds that would otherwise be spent on assisting youth employment initiatives. To date this application process has cost the centre some $50,000 in company resources; this would have paid for two trainees to be employed at the centre. CCGT has for 14 months included delivery of the skills centre in its budgets and business plans, and its non-delivery has frustrated the core business and impeded its ability to provide jobs for young people on the Central Coast, where youth unemployment sits at around 32 per cent.

To date I have been unsuccessful in getting FOI access to documents about the jobs incubator. Whilst I appreciate that it involves third parties and that additional procedures are required, it is critical that the documents in relation to what has now become a sad and sorry saga as far as the youth of the Central Coast are concerned be put on the public record. Clear commitments were made to CCGT by Minister Albanese and Mr Thomson regarding the $2.7 million funding in relation to the jobs incubator. I have raised this matter in the media and I have raised it in this place. The granting of access to these documents is in the general public interest and is most certainly in the interests of the people of the Central Coast in New South Wales.

I conclude with the observation that Mr Thomson and the Prime Minister have serious questions to answer. The Prime Minister's continued defence of Mr Thomson is now becoming untenable. Day by day the sad and sorry saga of deceitful conduct appears in the newspapers. At what point will this Prime Minister realise that her continued support of Mr Thomson is no longer tenable? I note that there is a website which has been set up called thomsonquitnow.com. Time will tell if Mr Thomson heeds this advice.

Senate adjourned at 20:48