❓ Opposition questions the Premier's confidence in the Verve Energy board chairman following advice related to the Muja AB refurbishment scandal. The Premier defends the chairman's service and avoids a direct commitment regarding his future role on the merged Synergy board.
AnsweredQoN 311Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
MUJA AB — REFURBISHMENT — VERVE ENERGY ADVICE
311. Mr W.J. JOHNSTON to the Premier:
I refer to the Muja AB scandal, specifically the Premier's
comments in the house on 19 June, and I quote —
Is the government at fault? I do
not believe so. The advice was at fault.
(1) Considering
Verve gave the Premier this advice, does he have confidence in the chairman of
the board of Verve Energy, Mr David Eiszele?
(2) As the
Premier has not held Hon Peter Collier to account for this mess, will he hold
Mr Eiszele to account for Verve's faulty advice; and, if not, why not?
(3) Will Mr Eiszele
be retained on the new board of Synergy when the boards of Verve and Synergy
are combined on Monday next week?
311. Mr W.J. JOHNSTON to the Premier:
I refer to the Muja AB scandal, specifically the Premier's
comments in the house on 19 June, and I quote —
Is the government at fault? I do
not believe so. The advice was at fault.
(1) Considering
Verve gave the Premier this advice, does he have confidence in the chairman of
the board of Verve Energy, Mr David Eiszele?
(2) As the
Premier has not held Hon Peter Collier to account for this mess, will he hold
Mr Eiszele to account for Verve's faulty advice; and, if not, why not?
(3) Will Mr Eiszele
be retained on the new board of Synergy when the boards of Verve and Synergy
are combined on Monday next week?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(3)
There is no doubt that the advice that came to the government was deficient,
and the reason for that was that a full inspection of the tubes that go into
the boiler was not undertaken and, therefore, we faced a situation that had
materially changed. I am not going to play the man. I do not do that.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Members!
Mr
C.J. BARNETT : David Eiszele has been a longstanding servant of the former
State Energy Commission and then Western Power, and now as the chairman of
Verve. Some might remember how the Labor Party forced him out in 2009.
Mr P.B. Watson :
Here we go.
Mr C.J. BARNETT :
It did. The Labor Party forced him out.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Members!
Mr C.J. BARNETT :
The Labor Party forced him out because it did not accept that he was not a
supporter of the breaking up of the then Western Power into four.
Mr B.S. Wyatt : You
might have $250 million extra.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Victoria Park!
Mr C.J. BARNETT :
So I am not going to go down that path.
Mr W.J. Johnston :
Are you going to put him on the new board?
Mr C.J. BARNETT :
When the Minister for Energy announces the joint board, then that will be
public information.
Mr W.J. Johnston :
Ha-ha!
Mr C.J. BARNETT :
Why would the government tell the opposition before it announces it?
Mr W.J. Johnston :
Why wouldn't you tell the people of Western Australia?
Mr C.J. BARNETT :
The member for Cannington does not understand it, does he?
Mr M. McGowan :
Because it is the Parliament.
The SPEAKER :
Members!
Mr C.J. BARNETT :
It is the Parliament —
Mr M. McGowan interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Leader of the Opposition!
Mr C.J. BARNETT :
It is a Parliament, and we are also a government that is respectful to
government employees and board members.
Mr M. McGowan : Not
really; you blame them.
The SPEAKER :
Leader of the Opposition!
Mr C.J. BARNETT :
At no stage did I say I blame them, and, indeed, there was a headline in the
media that allegedly quoted me and I never made those comments.
Mr W.J. Johnston :
Ha-ha!
Mr C.J. BARNETT : I
did not. I am not going to be disrespectful to either senior public servants or
people who work on our boards. In due course—pretty soon—the
Minister for Energy will announce, probably next week, the composition of the
joint board of Synergy and Verve. Obviously
a number of people will lose their position on the board and they deserve to
know and to be informed in a proper way. We will select what we think is the
best balanced board to oversee the merger of Verve and Synergy and then there
will be a board to take it forward.
There is no doubt that the advice that came to the government was deficient,
and the reason for that was that a full inspection of the tubes that go into
the boiler was not undertaken and, therefore, we faced a situation that had
materially changed. I am not going to play the man. I do not do that.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Members!
Mr
C.J. BARNETT : David Eiszele has been a longstanding servant of the former
State Energy Commission and then Western Power, and now as the chairman of
Verve. Some might remember how the Labor Party forced him out in 2009.
Mr P.B. Watson :
Here we go.
Mr C.J. BARNETT :
It did. The Labor Party forced him out.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Members!
Mr C.J. BARNETT :
The Labor Party forced him out because it did not accept that he was not a
supporter of the breaking up of the then Western Power into four.
Mr B.S. Wyatt : You
might have $250 million extra.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Victoria Park!
Mr C.J. BARNETT :
So I am not going to go down that path.
Mr W.J. Johnston :
Are you going to put him on the new board?
Mr C.J. BARNETT :
When the Minister for Energy announces the joint board, then that will be
public information.
Mr W.J. Johnston :
Ha-ha!
Mr C.J. BARNETT :
Why would the government tell the opposition before it announces it?
Mr W.J. Johnston :
Why wouldn't you tell the people of Western Australia?
Mr C.J. BARNETT :
The member for Cannington does not understand it, does he?
Mr M. McGowan :
Because it is the Parliament.
The SPEAKER :
Members!
Mr C.J. BARNETT :
It is the Parliament —
Mr M. McGowan interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Leader of the Opposition!
Mr C.J. BARNETT :
It is a Parliament, and we are also a government that is respectful to
government employees and board members.
Mr M. McGowan : Not
really; you blame them.
The SPEAKER :
Leader of the Opposition!
Mr C.J. BARNETT :
At no stage did I say I blame them, and, indeed, there was a headline in the
media that allegedly quoted me and I never made those comments.
Mr W.J. Johnston :
Ha-ha!
Mr C.J. BARNETT : I
did not. I am not going to be disrespectful to either senior public servants or
people who work on our boards. In due course—pretty soon—the
Minister for Energy will announce, probably next week, the composition of the
joint board of Synergy and Verve. Obviously
a number of people will lose their position on the board and they deserve to
know and to be informed in a proper way. We will select what we think is the
best balanced board to oversee the merger of Verve and Synergy and then there
will be a board to take it forward.
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