21st Feb 2019, 3:31 PM – Representatives Motions - Government Procurement - Misuse of taxpayers' money

The majority voted against a motion introduced by MP for Maribyrnong Bill Shorten (ALP), which means it failed.

Motion text

That the House:

(1) notes that:

(a) the Finance Minister abolished the Labor Government's travel panel and made it compulsory for all Government travel to be booked through Helloworld companies;

(b) the Finance Minister received free flights to Singapore from Helloworld just before it was awarded a multimillion dollar whole of government contract by the Minister's own Department;

(c) the CEO of Helloworld and one of its largest shareholders, Mr Andrew Burnes, is the Liberal Party Treasurer;

(d) the US Ambassador Joe Hockey helped Helloworld lobby for Embassy travel arrangements but Embassy staff weren't aware of Mr Hockey's million dollar Helloworld shareholding when he directed them to set up a meeting with a Helloworld company, a meeting which Mr Hockey personally attended;

(e) DFAT officials in Australia weren't told about Mr Hockey's conflict of interest until after the meeting and Mr Hockey didn't list his million dollar Helloworld shareholding on his DFAT register of interests until the month after that meeting;

(f) explosive Estimates evidence today confirms that the meetings was arranged because, in the words of Mr Andrew Burns, "Hockey owes me"; and

(g) these are just the latest examples of Members in this Government acting as if they are above the rules and treating taxpayers' money as their own, including the:

(i) Helloworld scandal;

(ii) Paladin scandal;

(iii) unlawful tipping off an Australian Federal Police raid;

(iv) use of Ministerial authority to assist Liberal Party donors;

(v) treatment of a parliamentary committee as if it were a branch of the Liberal Party; and

(vi) use of a Members' position to promote their own commercial interests; and

(2) therefore, condemns Members of this Government for acting as though they are above the rules and treating taxpayers' money as their own.