Barry O'Sullivan (Queensland, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise tonight to address some serious allegations made in the Senate earlier today by Senator Waters. Those allegations were directed at the Premier of Queensland, the Hon. Campbell Newman. This is the second time that Senator Waters has used parliamentary privilege to put forward facts that have neither been tested nor verified where the Premier of Queensland is concerned. Allegations have been made against senior and prominent members of the Queensland government and public service, including the Auditor-General, and reflections have been made on a number of public companies in my state who are involved in the resources industry. But tonight I want to specifically address the issues raised earlier today, where allegations were made. I will now refer to the Hansard record:

Sibelco helped him out to the tune of about $90,000. What do you know—once he assumes the premiership he then retrospectively reinstates their expired mining lease. If that is not corruption, I do not know what is.

There can be no more serious or more damaging allegation made against a person in public office than that of corruption. Senator Waters went on to say:

We have heard how he has taken money in, I believe, a corrupt manner prior to the election and then granted a particular favour …

The second most serious allegation that can be made against a member of any parliament or public official is that they grant a favour in exchange for a benefit or a payment. Even when Senator Waters was encouraged by the chair to withdraw the accusations, she reflected upon her withdrawal by saying,

… but I do note that the inference remains. When you take money and then retrospectively validate an expired mining lease …

Campbell Newman, the Premier of Queensland, did not receive one cent either in a monetary form or in some deferred benefit from the company—

Senator Ludwig interjecting—

I will produce the evidence for you from Sibelco.

Senator Ludwig interjecting—

I will take that on board.

Sam Dastyari (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Through the chair, Senator.

Barry O'Sullivan (Queensland, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am speaking through the chair. I have learned that lesson earlier today. It comes as no surprise that her colleagues in the Australian Labor Party would support the practice of making these allegations, pulling these verbal stunts in this place for cheap publicity. The fact of the matter is that either the senator failed to do primary due diligence with respect to her allegation or she simply invented it. That is a very serious allegation. All that she had to do was the same thing available to 25 million other Australians—

Larissa Waters (Queensland, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise on a point of order, Mr Acting Deputy President. I apologise for interrupting an adjournment, but I have to take this point of order. I have clarified my earlier remarks not once but twice today already. Perhaps Senator O'Sullivan might have more useful things to do with his time.

Sam Dastyari (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There is no point of order.

Barry O'Sullivan (Queensland, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would suggest through you, Mr Acting Deputy President, that Senator Waters takes it up with the staff at Hansard, because I have quoted from the Hansard record of the event today. Had the good senator taken the time, as many Australians do, to conduct a search online free of charge at the Electoral Commission of Queensland—available also to all other Queensland senators, if they were to take the time to do due diligence on these allegations—she would have found that the $90,000 that she alleged was received corruptly by the Premier in exchange for favours was in fact the value of a third-party campaign. The campaign was conducted by the company in response to a campaign that was conducted in part by the Queensland Conservation Council. There is an interesting connection. The campaign was conducted by the Conservation Council in the seat of Ashgrove in relation to sand mining. The good Senator has a very close connection with the Queensland Conservation Council. That should come as no surprise. I have done my homework. I am happy to give you these documents, and you can speak to them if you wish. The Queensland Conservation Council is one of 66 member bodies of the Environmental Defenders Office, where the good senator was employed. In fact, two of the board members are co-candidates for the Green party in the state of Queensland.

Senator Waters interjecting—

Senator Waters, you should sit quietly and listen and learn about what a little bit of investigation and due diligence can do, because it will always, as sunlight does on moss, bring out the truth in the fullness of time.

Larissa Waters (Queensland, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am trembling in my boots!

Barry O'Sullivan (Queensland, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You ought to be, because I am just starting. Parliamentary privilege in Western democracies has been around for over 300 years. It is an essential element of the toolkit of the people who come to this place and our House of Representatives, enabling them to get on with their function. It is significantly important. We have an obligation and a responsibility to air in this place allegations that are of a serious nature and that may have an impact on the constituency of our country. Equally, we have an obligation to do the most basic due diligence. A simple Google search would have shown Senator Waters that the facts that she needed are on the public record, and would have prevented her from abusing the privilege of this place to make the allegations.

All I can say is that, at the end of events today, the victim of this is not the Premier of Queensland but Senator Waters. Her reputation will be measured against these occasions where she comes into this place and makes allegations that are completely in contrast with the facts on the public record, into which anybody can make the simplest of inquiries. I should not have to get up here all the time responding to these unfounded allegations by Senator Waters against the Premier of Queensland. I am happy to put some time aside for you, Senator Waters, and to give you a basic run-through on due diligence and investigative techniques. That will allow you to underpin the statements you make in this place in the future; to see that they are, at least from a basic perspective, accurate.