Mr. Catania questions the Minister for Housing regarding inaction on payment concerns raised about Pindan Group prior to its collapse. The Minister deflects, accusing Mr. Catania of seeking a 'gotcha moment' and acting recklessly.

AnsweredQoN 166Legislative Assembly
Asked
1 June 2021
Portfolio
Housing

QuestionView source ↗

PINDAN GROUP — GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS
166. Mr V.A. CATANIA to the Minister for Housing:
I have a supplementary question. I gave
the minister notice of that question. I have an email dated 24 August 2020,
addressed to the former minister, and I also have the minister's reply.
The email raised payment concerns about Pindan. Was it the minister, his
department or his predecessor who failed to act on this information?

AnswerView source ↗

I understand that the member wants
a gotcha moment; that is what he wants. Last week, he was calling loudly and
clearly in this chamber for the termination of the contract. I will not take
the reckless approach that he takes to this matter. We have a dedicated team
that is working with the Department of Finance on these sensitive matters. We deeply understand the sensitivities, particularly
for the 100 staff, 70 per cent of whom are working on the issues right now. The member does not seem to care about that. He said last week, ''Terminate
the contract.'' That would be a reckless approach for those 100 staff
who are working in his region. It is a disgraceful approach. This government will
take a prudent approach to this matter, to secure the best outcomes we can in
these difficult circumstances.

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