❓ Question regarding potential lobbying by Brian Burke and Julian Grill for Bluewaters 2 power station approvals and whether the Minister expedited the approval process during his time as Acting Minister for the Environment. The Minister's response focuses on correcting the timeline of his acting ministership and defending the government's efficiency and integrity.
AnsweredQoN 925Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
BLUEWATERS 2 POWER STATION
(1) At any stage did Brian Burke or Julian Grill lobby the minister or any member of his ministerial staff regarding the approvals required for the Bluewaters 2 power station; and, if so, when did this lobbying occur? (2) Did the minister or his office at any time request that documents relating to approvals for Bluewaters 2 be brought forward to him as Acting Minister for the Environment or did these documents come to him through the standard procedure and time lines for approval? Mr J.J.M. BOWLER
(1) At any stage did Brian Burke or Julian Grill lobby the minister or any member of his ministerial staff regarding the approvals required for the Bluewaters 2 power station; and, if so, when did this lobbying occur? (2) Did the minister or his office at any time request that documents relating to approvals for Bluewaters 2 be brought forward to him as Acting Minister for the Environment or did these documents come to him through the standard procedure and time lines for approval? Mr J.J.M. BOWLER
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for the question. (1)-(2) Can I correct information provided yesterday when the member intimated I was the Acting Minister for the Environment for nine days? I became the Acting Minister for the Environment on 8 January when Minister Edwards went on holidays. On 16 January, the then Premier, Geoff Gallop, announced his resignation on that very sad day. The following day, 17 January, Minister Edwards also resigned. That meant I was no longer the acting minister for nine days; it was indefinite. By 31 January I had been minister for something like a month. That was the day I made the decision and put out this press release, about which no-one made any comment, particularly the opposition, which made no objection. It was not until 3 February that I stopped being the Acting Minister for the Environment, when the new cabinet was sworn in. It is wrong to say it was for only nine days. We are a government that gets things done. It is my job to get things done, like all ministers in this house. The Carpenter government prides itself in being a government that gets things done in this state and that is why this state is going 100 miles an hour. Any decision I make is always without fear or favour, regardless of who contacts me, whether it is the company or any other lobbyist. I say to the member for Capel that his electorate is close to Collie. I would love to debate this with the member for Collie-Wellington on my side and the Leader of the Opposition on the member for Capel’s side any day he wants to.
(2) Did the minister or his office at any time request that documents relating to approvals for Bluewaters 2 be brought forward to him as Acting Minister for the Environment or did these documents come to him through the standard procedure and time lines for approval? Mr J.J.M. BOWLER replied: I thank the member for the question. (1)-(2) Can I correct information provided yesterday when the member intimated I was the Acting Minister for the Environment for nine days? I became the Acting Minister for the Environment on 8 January when Minister Edwards went on holidays. On 16 January, the then Premier, Geoff Gallop, announced his resignation on that very sad day. The following day, 17 January, Minister Edwards also resigned. That meant I was no longer the acting minister for nine days; it was indefinite. By 31 January I had been minister for something like a month. That was the day I made the decision and put out this press release, about which no-one made any comment, particularly the opposition, which made no objection. It was not until 3 February that I stopped being the Acting Minister for the Environment, when the new cabinet was sworn in. It is wrong to say it was for only nine days. We are a government that gets things done. It is my job to get things done, like all ministers in this house. The Carpenter government prides itself in being a government that gets things done in this state and that is why this state is going 100 miles an hour. Any decision I make is always without fear or favour, regardless of who contacts me, whether it is the company or any other lobbyist. I say to the member for Capel that his electorate is close to Collie. I would love to debate this with the member for Collie-Wellington on my side and the Leader of the Opposition on the member for Capel’s side any day he wants to.
Mr J.J.M. BOWLER replied: I thank the member for the question. (1)-(2) Can I correct information provided yesterday when the member intimated I was the Acting Minister for the Environment for nine days? I became the Acting Minister for the Environment on 8 January when Minister Edwards went on holidays. On 16 January, the then Premier, Geoff Gallop, announced his resignation on that very sad day. The following day, 17 January, Minister Edwards also resigned. That meant I was no longer the acting minister for nine days; it was indefinite. By 31 January I had been minister for something like a month. That was the day I made the decision and put out this press release, about which no-one made any comment, particularly the opposition, which made no objection. It was not until 3 February that I stopped being the Acting Minister for the Environment, when the new cabinet was sworn in. It is wrong to say it was for only nine days. We are a government that gets things done. It is my job to get things done, like all ministers in this house. The Carpenter government prides itself in being a government that gets things done in this state and that is why this state is going 100 miles an hour. Any decision I make is always without fear or favour, regardless of who contacts me, whether it is the company or any other lobbyist. I say to the member for Capel that his electorate is close to Collie. I would love to debate this with the member for Collie-Wellington on my side and the Leader of the Opposition on the member for Capel’s side any day he wants to.
I thank the member for the question. (1)-(2) Can I correct information provided yesterday when the member intimated I was the Acting Minister for the Environment for nine days? I became the Acting Minister for the Environment on 8 January when Minister Edwards went on holidays. On 16 January, the then Premier, Geoff Gallop, announced his resignation on that very sad day. The following day, 17 January, Minister Edwards also resigned. That meant I was no longer the acting minister for nine days; it was indefinite. By 31 January I had been minister for something like a month. That was the day I made the decision and put out this press release, about which no-one made any comment, particularly the opposition, which made no objection. It was not until 3 February that I stopped being the Acting Minister for the Environment, when the new cabinet was sworn in. It is wrong to say it was for only nine days. We are a government that gets things done. It is my job to get things done, like all ministers in this house. The Carpenter government prides itself in being a government that gets things done in this state and that is why this state is going 100 miles an hour. Any decision I make is always without fear or favour, regardless of who contacts me, whether it is the company or any other lobbyist. I say to the member for Capel that his electorate is close to Collie. I would love to debate this with the member for Collie-Wellington on my side and the Leader of the Opposition on the member for Capel’s side any day he wants to.
(1)-(2) Can I correct information provided yesterday when the member intimated I was the Acting Minister for the Environment for nine days? I became the Acting Minister for the Environment on 8 January when Minister Edwards went on holidays. On 16 January, the then Premier, Geoff Gallop, announced his resignation on that very sad day. The following day, 17 January, Minister Edwards also resigned. That meant I was no longer the acting minister for nine days; it was indefinite. By 31 January I had been minister for something like a month. That was the day I made the decision and put out this press release, about which no-one made any comment, particularly the opposition, which made no objection. It was not until 3 February that I stopped being the Acting Minister for the Environment, when the new cabinet was sworn in. It is wrong to say it was for only nine days. We are a government that gets things done. It is my job to get things done, like all ministers in this house. The Carpenter government prides itself in being a government that gets things done in this state and that is why this state is going 100 miles an hour. Any decision I make is always without fear or favour, regardless of who contacts me, whether it is the company or any other lobbyist. I say to the member for Capel that his electorate is close to Collie. I would love to debate this with the member for Collie-Wellington on my side and the Leader of the Opposition on the member for Capel’s side any day he wants to.
(2) Did the minister or his office at any time request that documents relating to approvals for Bluewaters 2 be brought forward to him as Acting Minister for the Environment or did these documents come to him through the standard procedure and time lines for approval? Mr J.J.M. BOWLER replied: I thank the member for the question. (1)-(2) Can I correct information provided yesterday when the member intimated I was the Acting Minister for the Environment for nine days? I became the Acting Minister for the Environment on 8 January when Minister Edwards went on holidays. On 16 January, the then Premier, Geoff Gallop, announced his resignation on that very sad day. The following day, 17 January, Minister Edwards also resigned. That meant I was no longer the acting minister for nine days; it was indefinite. By 31 January I had been minister for something like a month. That was the day I made the decision and put out this press release, about which no-one made any comment, particularly the opposition, which made no objection. It was not until 3 February that I stopped being the Acting Minister for the Environment, when the new cabinet was sworn in. It is wrong to say it was for only nine days. We are a government that gets things done. It is my job to get things done, like all ministers in this house. The Carpenter government prides itself in being a government that gets things done in this state and that is why this state is going 100 miles an hour. Any decision I make is always without fear or favour, regardless of who contacts me, whether it is the company or any other lobbyist. I say to the member for Capel that his electorate is close to Collie. I would love to debate this with the member for Collie-Wellington on my side and the Leader of the Opposition on the member for Capel’s side any day he wants to.
Mr J.J.M. BOWLER replied: I thank the member for the question. (1)-(2) Can I correct information provided yesterday when the member intimated I was the Acting Minister for the Environment for nine days? I became the Acting Minister for the Environment on 8 January when Minister Edwards went on holidays. On 16 January, the then Premier, Geoff Gallop, announced his resignation on that very sad day. The following day, 17 January, Minister Edwards also resigned. That meant I was no longer the acting minister for nine days; it was indefinite. By 31 January I had been minister for something like a month. That was the day I made the decision and put out this press release, about which no-one made any comment, particularly the opposition, which made no objection. It was not until 3 February that I stopped being the Acting Minister for the Environment, when the new cabinet was sworn in. It is wrong to say it was for only nine days. We are a government that gets things done. It is my job to get things done, like all ministers in this house. The Carpenter government prides itself in being a government that gets things done in this state and that is why this state is going 100 miles an hour. Any decision I make is always without fear or favour, regardless of who contacts me, whether it is the company or any other lobbyist. I say to the member for Capel that his electorate is close to Collie. I would love to debate this with the member for Collie-Wellington on my side and the Leader of the Opposition on the member for Capel’s side any day he wants to.
I thank the member for the question. (1)-(2) Can I correct information provided yesterday when the member intimated I was the Acting Minister for the Environment for nine days? I became the Acting Minister for the Environment on 8 January when Minister Edwards went on holidays. On 16 January, the then Premier, Geoff Gallop, announced his resignation on that very sad day. The following day, 17 January, Minister Edwards also resigned. That meant I was no longer the acting minister for nine days; it was indefinite. By 31 January I had been minister for something like a month. That was the day I made the decision and put out this press release, about which no-one made any comment, particularly the opposition, which made no objection. It was not until 3 February that I stopped being the Acting Minister for the Environment, when the new cabinet was sworn in. It is wrong to say it was for only nine days. We are a government that gets things done. It is my job to get things done, like all ministers in this house. The Carpenter government prides itself in being a government that gets things done in this state and that is why this state is going 100 miles an hour. Any decision I make is always without fear or favour, regardless of who contacts me, whether it is the company or any other lobbyist. I say to the member for Capel that his electorate is close to Collie. I would love to debate this with the member for Collie-Wellington on my side and the Leader of the Opposition on the member for Capel’s side any day he wants to.
(1)-(2) Can I correct information provided yesterday when the member intimated I was the Acting Minister for the Environment for nine days? I became the Acting Minister for the Environment on 8 January when Minister Edwards went on holidays. On 16 January, the then Premier, Geoff Gallop, announced his resignation on that very sad day. The following day, 17 January, Minister Edwards also resigned. That meant I was no longer the acting minister for nine days; it was indefinite. By 31 January I had been minister for something like a month. That was the day I made the decision and put out this press release, about which no-one made any comment, particularly the opposition, which made no objection. It was not until 3 February that I stopped being the Acting Minister for the Environment, when the new cabinet was sworn in. It is wrong to say it was for only nine days. We are a government that gets things done. It is my job to get things done, like all ministers in this house. The Carpenter government prides itself in being a government that gets things done in this state and that is why this state is going 100 miles an hour. Any decision I make is always without fear or favour, regardless of who contacts me, whether it is the company or any other lobbyist. I say to the member for Capel that his electorate is close to Collie. I would love to debate this with the member for Collie-Wellington on my side and the Leader of the Opposition on the member for Capel’s side any day he wants to.
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