❓ A parliamentary question regarding potential fraud within DevelopmentWA's Regional Land Booster program, prompted by an Auditor General's report. The Minister's response defends the program's success and cites the Auditor General's lack of findings of fraud or misconduct.
AnsweredQoN 182Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
DevelopmentWA—Auditor General report
182. Mr Jonathan Huston to the Minister for
Planning and Lands :
I refer to the—
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Sorry, member; just hold on. We will wait
until everybody is ready. You might need to start your question again, member.
Mr Jonathan Huston: I refer to the Auditor General's
report tabled yesterday regarding DevelopmentWA and the Auditor General's
comments in the media, which were also made in a briefing, that there could
have been fraud during the audit period.
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members! Member for Landsdale! Carry on,
member.
Mr Jonathan Huston: The Auditor General's comment was that
there could have been fraud during the audit period. Has the minister sought
assurances from DevelopmentWA that fraud was not committed in any of the
thousands of transactions that were examined during the audit period and, if
not, why not?
182. Mr Jonathan Huston to the Minister for
Planning and Lands :
I refer to the—
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Sorry, member; just hold on. We will wait
until everybody is ready. You might need to start your question again, member.
Mr Jonathan Huston: I refer to the Auditor General's
report tabled yesterday regarding DevelopmentWA and the Auditor General's
comments in the media, which were also made in a briefing, that there could
have been fraud during the audit period.
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members! Member for Landsdale! Carry on,
member.
Mr Jonathan Huston: The Auditor General's comment was that
there could have been fraud during the audit period. Has the minister sought
assurances from DevelopmentWA that fraud was not committed in any of the
thousands of transactions that were examined during the audit period and, if
not, why not?
AnswerView source ↗
Thank you, member
for Nedlands. I want to give some context about the program that is being
referred to, and that was the $166 million Regional Land Booster program, which
at the time, if members remember, was in response to working through the COVID
pandemic. Where there is market failure, which we acknowledge can often be in
regional communities, we recognise there is an important role for DevelopmentWA
to assist unlocked land and housing development that may otherwise not be
possible.
We did that program
and that program saw 1,002 lots contracted in 89 towns. Interestingly, the Regional
Land Booster program resulted in sales activities in 56 towns where there had
been no sales activity for two years prior to July 2020. Of those 56, 38 towns had
no sales in five years prior and 18 towns had no sales in 10 years prior. That
demonstrates the benefit of the Regional Land Booster program. I want to put
this on the record. There were two specific case studies. The first related to
a lot in Kununurra. The use of the land was for mixed use and the length of
time it had been on the market before being sold was 11 years. The second was
in Port Hedland, which is now being used for mining support and engineering. It
was bought by a family-owned construction company and had sat on the market for
13 years.
I want to be very
clear. I have seen some of the commentary by the Leader of the Liberal Party.
The majority of lots as part of the Regional Land Booster program were small
lots and were sold to a large number of local interests in particular to
facilitate the development of the economy. Let us be very clear about the
context of the program. In terms of the findings, the Premier has detailed
significant quotes by the Auditor General that refer to the way that the board
is operating and its commitments. It is reassuring and important to note that
the Auditor General found no adverse findings or instances of fraud or
misconduct at DevelopmentWA during the audit.
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members! Leader of the Opposition!
Mr John Carey: The
board of DevelopmentWA has engaged with the recommendations of the audit, and
it is further strengthening the processes around those transactions. Again, I
come back to that quote:
I am particularly encouraged by the
current Board's explicit understanding of the overlapping, and at times
competing, political, social and commercial environments it operates in and
their associated risks. It has further demonstrated it clearly understands the
responsibility it carries as the steward of assets that belong to all Western
Australians.
for Nedlands. I want to give some context about the program that is being
referred to, and that was the $166 million Regional Land Booster program, which
at the time, if members remember, was in response to working through the COVID
pandemic. Where there is market failure, which we acknowledge can often be in
regional communities, we recognise there is an important role for DevelopmentWA
to assist unlocked land and housing development that may otherwise not be
possible.
We did that program
and that program saw 1,002 lots contracted in 89 towns. Interestingly, the Regional
Land Booster program resulted in sales activities in 56 towns where there had
been no sales activity for two years prior to July 2020. Of those 56, 38 towns had
no sales in five years prior and 18 towns had no sales in 10 years prior. That
demonstrates the benefit of the Regional Land Booster program. I want to put
this on the record. There were two specific case studies. The first related to
a lot in Kununurra. The use of the land was for mixed use and the length of
time it had been on the market before being sold was 11 years. The second was
in Port Hedland, which is now being used for mining support and engineering. It
was bought by a family-owned construction company and had sat on the market for
13 years.
I want to be very
clear. I have seen some of the commentary by the Leader of the Liberal Party.
The majority of lots as part of the Regional Land Booster program were small
lots and were sold to a large number of local interests in particular to
facilitate the development of the economy. Let us be very clear about the
context of the program. In terms of the findings, the Premier has detailed
significant quotes by the Auditor General that refer to the way that the board
is operating and its commitments. It is reassuring and important to note that
the Auditor General found no adverse findings or instances of fraud or
misconduct at DevelopmentWA during the audit.
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members! Leader of the Opposition!
Mr John Carey: The
board of DevelopmentWA has engaged with the recommendations of the audit, and
it is further strengthening the processes around those transactions. Again, I
come back to that quote:
I am particularly encouraged by the
current Board's explicit understanding of the overlapping, and at times
competing, political, social and commercial environments it operates in and
their associated risks. It has further demonstrated it clearly understands the
responsibility it carries as the steward of assets that belong to all Western
Australians.
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