❓ Opposition questions the Health Minister's awareness of Healthway's hospitality and ticketing issues, referencing a Public Sector Commissioner's report and the Premier's comments. The Minister responds with dates and deflects by suggesting the Shadow Minister may have known more.
AnsweredQoN 57Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
HEALTHWAY SPONSORSHIP MANAGEMENT —
PUBLIC SECTOR COMMISSION REPORT
57. Mr R.H. COOK to the Minister for
Health:
I refer to comments made by the
Premier on Friday that the board of Healthway must have known about the
hospitality and ticketing issues.
(1) If the board
should have been aware, and there are five senior public servants on the board,
including two senior health department officials, would not the minister also
have been aware of these issues?
(2) Can the
minister please provide the precise date that he was informed about the
ticketing issues that are part of the Public Sector Commissioner's
report?
PUBLIC SECTOR COMMISSION REPORT
57. Mr R.H. COOK to the Minister for
Health:
I refer to comments made by the
Premier on Friday that the board of Healthway must have known about the
hospitality and ticketing issues.
(1) If the board
should have been aware, and there are five senior public servants on the board,
including two senior health department officials, would not the minister also
have been aware of these issues?
(2) Can the
minister please provide the precise date that he was informed about the
ticketing issues that are part of the Public Sector Commissioner's
report?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) I
will answer the last part of the question first. On 25 July, the Auditor
General sent a letter to me as Minister for Health going through the financial
statements and key performance indicators for the year to 30 June. That gave a
tick to Healthway for its management, but attached to that were questions
regarding the number of hospitality tickets and requesting an investigation. I
received that in my office on 28 July. That is the date on which I was
informed. The shadow Minister for Health is just as likely to have known about
the hospitality issues at Healthway as I was. In terms of being invited to
events, over the years that I have been minister I was invited to very few
Healthway events. It begs the question why that was the case, but I was invited
to very few. In fact, I declined them all. I know that the shadow minister was
invited to some of those events as well. I do not know if he attended or not
because there is no record to show whether he did. The point is if he did not
go, he would know as much as I did; if he did go, he would know more.
will answer the last part of the question first. On 25 July, the Auditor
General sent a letter to me as Minister for Health going through the financial
statements and key performance indicators for the year to 30 June. That gave a
tick to Healthway for its management, but attached to that were questions
regarding the number of hospitality tickets and requesting an investigation. I
received that in my office on 28 July. That is the date on which I was
informed. The shadow Minister for Health is just as likely to have known about
the hospitality issues at Healthway as I was. In terms of being invited to
events, over the years that I have been minister I was invited to very few
Healthway events. It begs the question why that was the case, but I was invited
to very few. In fact, I declined them all. I know that the shadow minister was
invited to some of those events as well. I do not know if he attended or not
because there is no record to show whether he did. The point is if he did not
go, he would know as much as I did; if he did go, he would know more.
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