❓ Mr. Wyatt questions the Minister for Planning about a $10,000 expense on Mr. Gary Prattley's credit card for a Christmas function, the details of which were previously withheld. The Minister acknowledges the function and his attendance but lacks specific details.
AnsweredQoN 730Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
GARY PRATTLEY — CREDIT CARD EXPENDITURE
730. Mr B.S. WYATT to the Minister for Planning:
Mr Speaker, I may be the last person
to whom you give the call for questions in question time, so despite the fact
you have been somewhat cranky today, I wish you all the very best in your
post-parliamentary career!
Minister, I refer to the credit card
expenditure incurred by the Western Australian Planning Commission appointee Mr
Gary Prattley for $10 000 in December 2011, information on which has been
refused through freedom of information channels and previous parliamentary
questions to the minister.
(1) Was this $10 000
for a Christmas function or functions?
(2) Where did the
function or functions take place?
(3) Did the
minister attend this function?
(4) If yes to (3),
what other events or functions paid through Mr Prattley's credit card
courtesy of WA taxpayers has the minister attended?
730. Mr B.S. WYATT to the Minister for Planning:
Mr Speaker, I may be the last person
to whom you give the call for questions in question time, so despite the fact
you have been somewhat cranky today, I wish you all the very best in your
post-parliamentary career!
Minister, I refer to the credit card
expenditure incurred by the Western Australian Planning Commission appointee Mr
Gary Prattley for $10 000 in December 2011, information on which has been
refused through freedom of information channels and previous parliamentary
questions to the minister.
(1) Was this $10 000
for a Christmas function or functions?
(2) Where did the
function or functions take place?
(3) Did the
minister attend this function?
(4) If yes to (3),
what other events or functions paid through Mr Prattley's credit card
courtesy of WA taxpayers has the minister attended?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(4) I
do not have all the information requested with me, but I am aware, and in fact
I do recall, that it was a function held around Christmas time last year. I
think approximately 500 people were invited to that, and I did attend that as
one of those standard end-of-year events that many agencies put on.
Essentially, it was a combined function between the Department of Planning and
the Planning Commission, as I understand. For some reason that I am not fully
aware of at the moment, the credit card of the chairman of the WAPC has been
used for a range of events like that. To me, on the face of it that is a fairly
unusual sort of practice, but it does not necessarily indicate anything
untoward whatsoever. So, yes, there was one of the standard end-of-year
functions held last year and there were a significant number of people there—people
within government, people within the private sector, and within the planning
arena and more widely.
So that is my recollection of what
was held towards the end of last year. I understand the opposition has lodged a
further FOI request, or certainly a previous FOI request to the Department of
Planning or the Planning Commission; obviously that process will take its
course and I am not involved in that.
do not have all the information requested with me, but I am aware, and in fact
I do recall, that it was a function held around Christmas time last year. I
think approximately 500 people were invited to that, and I did attend that as
one of those standard end-of-year events that many agencies put on.
Essentially, it was a combined function between the Department of Planning and
the Planning Commission, as I understand. For some reason that I am not fully
aware of at the moment, the credit card of the chairman of the WAPC has been
used for a range of events like that. To me, on the face of it that is a fairly
unusual sort of practice, but it does not necessarily indicate anything
untoward whatsoever. So, yes, there was one of the standard end-of-year
functions held last year and there were a significant number of people there—people
within government, people within the private sector, and within the planning
arena and more widely.
So that is my recollection of what
was held towards the end of last year. I understand the opposition has lodged a
further FOI request, or certainly a previous FOI request to the Department of
Planning or the Planning Commission; obviously that process will take its
course and I am not involved in that.
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