Opposition asks the Minister for Transport about the government's refusal to release Perth Freight Link documents, referencing a Senate direction. The Minister deflects, citing commercial confidentiality and past Labor practice.

AnsweredQoN 572Legislative Assembly
Asked
11 August 2015
Portfolio
Transport

QuestionView source ↗

PERTH
FREIGHT LINK — DOCUMENTS' RELEASE — SENATE MOTION
572. Ms R. SAFFIOTI to the Minister for
Transport:
I refer to the Senate direction
yesterday to release Perth Freight Link documents.
(1) Can the
minister confirm that the director general for the Department of Transport has
opposed the direction and will not be releasing those documents?
(2) Does the
minister agree with the actions being taken by the director general to oppose
the release of those documents?
(3) Can he
explain why the state government would oppose the release of those documents as
part of the Senate process?

AnswerView source ↗

(1)–(3)
Again, I looked at this issue only yesterday. I have asked my office to
determine what is the process regarding the federal government and the release
of documents, and I am waiting for a response. The response that we are
providing for the release of information is no different from the response
Alannah MacTiernan provided when she was questioned about the provision of
information for the Mandurah rail line. When it comes to
commercial-in-confidence information and we are in the process of contract
negotiations, we do not release that.
Several members interjected.
Mr
D.C. NALDER : That is exactly the same argument that the former Labor government
made about the Mandurah line. We are saying the same thing: we will be more
than happy to provide the information when it is no longer commercial in
confidence or we have completed the contractual negotiations.

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