❓ Question regarding a $205 million contract awarded to Huawei by the Minister for Transport without cabinet approval, given the Commonwealth's impending ban on Huawei's 5G network. The Premier deflects, attacking the opposition's credibility and referencing a previous statement by a different member.
AnsweredQoN 596Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS — HUAWEI
596. Dr M.D. NAHAN to the Premier:
I refer to the decision of the commonwealth today that
effectively bans Huawei from Australia's 5G network. Why did the
Premier allow the Minister for Transport to commit to a $205 million contract
without taking it to cabinet, and knowing that the impending commonwealth
decision was likely to make the radio system obsolete before it had been
constructed?
596. Dr M.D. NAHAN to the Premier:
I refer to the decision of the commonwealth today that
effectively bans Huawei from Australia's 5G network. Why did the
Premier allow the Minister for Transport to commit to a $205 million contract
without taking it to cabinet, and knowing that the impending commonwealth
decision was likely to make the radio system obsolete before it had been
constructed?
AnswerView source ↗
I will deal with the aspects of that question. I know that
the member for Dawesville supports Huawei. I will quote what he said in Hansard on 21 June 2018.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for Warren-Blackwood and other
members, I want to hear the Premier's answer. You asked the question.
Mr M. McGOWAN : I will quote the member for Dawesville,
who said —
The final area I would like to
talk about is Huawei and the concerns outlined in articles that I have read
recently about the Perth rail system and radiocommunications. I note that the
Premier and, through interjections, the Minister for Transport have provided
answers to this house indicating that they have spoken to commonwealth
government agencies about the rollout of the radiocommunications network.
Certainly, I do not question the validity of the advice given to the state
government by the commonwealth agencies. That is something that any prudent
state government would do if it had a tender from a company that had been
somewhat controversial.
He goes on —
I am certain that no government in
the state of Western Australia would mess around with radiocommunications on
our train networks. I think it is only inter-train communications.
�
To see a company like that
pitching is indeed the start of something that has existed in other
jurisdictions for some time. I do not think there is a need to be fearful or
anything like that.
For once I agree with the member for Dawesville; I think he
has nailed it. If the Leader of the Opposition has such concerns, has he raised
them with the member for Dawesville? No. What the opposition has done is this:
we offered—I regret this now—a private security briefing to the
opposition. We will not do it again because at that briefing, an opposition
staff member, a Mr Simon Helm, decided to pull out his phone and take
photographs of private security documents that were shown to the opposition in
confidence. The Leader of the Opposition has come into this house and said that
they were deleted. From the nature of his question, it appears that he has
misled the house. If I were the Leader of the Opposition, I would be very
careful about privileges matters here. We have other evidence that shows that
the Leader of the Opposition has misled the house. He is now going near a serious
privileges matter. I do not think that the communication between train drivers—when
they talk to one another whilst driving their trains—is a national
security issue; indeed, the Department of Home Affairs and ASIO advised us of
that.
the member for Dawesville supports Huawei. I will quote what he said in Hansard on 21 June 2018.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for Warren-Blackwood and other
members, I want to hear the Premier's answer. You asked the question.
Mr M. McGOWAN : I will quote the member for Dawesville,
who said —
The final area I would like to
talk about is Huawei and the concerns outlined in articles that I have read
recently about the Perth rail system and radiocommunications. I note that the
Premier and, through interjections, the Minister for Transport have provided
answers to this house indicating that they have spoken to commonwealth
government agencies about the rollout of the radiocommunications network.
Certainly, I do not question the validity of the advice given to the state
government by the commonwealth agencies. That is something that any prudent
state government would do if it had a tender from a company that had been
somewhat controversial.
He goes on —
I am certain that no government in
the state of Western Australia would mess around with radiocommunications on
our train networks. I think it is only inter-train communications.
�
To see a company like that
pitching is indeed the start of something that has existed in other
jurisdictions for some time. I do not think there is a need to be fearful or
anything like that.
For once I agree with the member for Dawesville; I think he
has nailed it. If the Leader of the Opposition has such concerns, has he raised
them with the member for Dawesville? No. What the opposition has done is this:
we offered—I regret this now—a private security briefing to the
opposition. We will not do it again because at that briefing, an opposition
staff member, a Mr Simon Helm, decided to pull out his phone and take
photographs of private security documents that were shown to the opposition in
confidence. The Leader of the Opposition has come into this house and said that
they were deleted. From the nature of his question, it appears that he has
misled the house. If I were the Leader of the Opposition, I would be very
careful about privileges matters here. We have other evidence that shows that
the Leader of the Opposition has misled the house. He is now going near a serious
privileges matter. I do not think that the communication between train drivers—when
they talk to one another whilst driving their trains—is a national
security issue; indeed, the Department of Home Affairs and ASIO advised us of
that.
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