❓ Opposition questions the Premier about potential influence of a private health operator on the Liberal Party candidate selection for Mandurah, suggesting a conflict of interest. The Premier defends the candidate and highlights his community involvement.
AnsweredQoN 613Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
PEEL HEALTH CAMPUS — FORMER HEALTH
SOLUTIONS (WA) EMPLOYEE — LIBERAL PARTY CANDIDATE
613. Mr R.H. COOK to the Premier:
I refer to the email from the chairman of the private operator
of Peel Health Campus indicating his plan to have a hospital employee
preselected as the Liberal Party candidate for the seat of Mandurah. It states —
Can you call the liberal branch
for Mandurah, today soon,
Ask if you wished to register and
become a member, what is the cost and any process that would be.
Also ask when pre-selection for a
local candidate for the next state election takes place for the Mandurah
branch/division.
(1) Was the
Premier aware of these plans and did he endorse Mr Tony Solin as the Liberal
Party candidate for Mandurah?
(2) Does the
Premier think it is appropriate that a company that has a direct pecuniary
interest and is in active negotiations with the state over a large business
proposal should seek to influence the government by fielding candidates on his
behalf?
SOLUTIONS (WA) EMPLOYEE — LIBERAL PARTY CANDIDATE
613. Mr R.H. COOK to the Premier:
I refer to the email from the chairman of the private operator
of Peel Health Campus indicating his plan to have a hospital employee
preselected as the Liberal Party candidate for the seat of Mandurah. It states —
Can you call the liberal branch
for Mandurah, today soon,
Ask if you wished to register and
become a member, what is the cost and any process that would be.
Also ask when pre-selection for a
local candidate for the next state election takes place for the Mandurah
branch/division.
(1) Was the
Premier aware of these plans and did he endorse Mr Tony Solin as the Liberal
Party candidate for Mandurah?
(2) Does the
Premier think it is appropriate that a company that has a direct pecuniary
interest and is in active negotiations with the state over a large business
proposal should seek to influence the government by fielding candidates on his
behalf?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2)
Mr Speaker —
Several
members interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Members! Member for Cockburn!
Mr C.J. BARNETT : I
have not seen that email. The Liberal Party preselection committee selected
Tony Solin as the candidate for Mandurah.
Mr P.C. Tinley interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Willagee!
Mr P. Papalia : The
best party money can buy!
The SPEAKER :
Member for Warnbro, I formally call you to order for the second time today.
Member for Willagee, I call you to order for the third time today.
Mr C.J. BARNETT :
Yes, I think Tony Solin, in fact, headed up the foundation that raised money
for equipment and extensions to the hospital—at least I think that is
correct. That was his role as basically organising the fundraising campaign.
The former member for the area, Arthur Marshall, played a key role—I
think he may have chaired that—and they raised a great deal of money in
support of their community. I am sure that the member for Mandurah would be
aware of the many people in his community who contributed to that program
headed by Tony Solin —
Mr D.A. Templeman interjected.
Mr C.J. BARNETT :
Good on you for doing so.
I do not know Tony Solin well, but I launched his campaign —
Several members interjected.
Mr C.J. BARNETT :
No; I do not know him well; I have met him a few times, obviously.
Several members interjected.
Mr D.A. Templeman :
You sound like he was your best mate.
Mr C.J. BARNETT : I
do know he was a very fine footballer who played in a State of Origin game, I
know he has been very successful in running the foundation, I know he is
married with a great family and I know he has lived in the area for around
eight years. He seems to me to be a very worthy candidate and I can tell the
opposition now that he will run a very strong campaign, and do not be surprised
if Tony Solin becomes a member of Parliament, and the member for Mandurah is
not, because I think he is a far better person to represent Mandurah than the current
member for Mandurah.
Several members interjected.
Mr C.J. BARNETT :
The one thing we know about Tony Solin is that he supports health services in
Mandurah, because when the Peel Health Campus was built —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Keep
on practising the ventriloquism, member for Mandurah! I formally call you to
order for the second time today.
Mr C.J. BARNETT :
The Peel Health Campus, which was a project developed by the Richard Court–led
government in the 1990s, has been very successful.
Several members interjected.
Mr C.J. BARNETT :
It actually is. Okay, do not —
Mr F.M. Logan : It's
a farce.
Mr C.J. BARNETT :
It is a farce, is it?
Mr F.M. Logan : A
basket case —
Mr C.J. BARNETT :
Okay, so the Labor Party regards the Peel Health Campus as a basket case.
Member for Mandurah, do you agree with that?
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Cockburn, this is the second time I formally call you to order.
Mr C.J. BARNETT : I
do not know whether the member for Mandurah thinks that the Peel Health Campus
is a basket case.
Mr D.A. Templeman :
I want a good hospital for the people of Mandurah; it is all I have ever
wanted.
Mr C.J. BARNETT :
When the Peel Health Campus —
Mr D.A. Templeman :
And I want a hospital people can have confidence in. That is the answer to the
question. Do you want to ask me another one?
Mr P. Papalia : Now
they have paid you off, will they get their extension?
Mr
C.J. BARNETT : You are just awful.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Warnbro, I formally call you to order for the third
time today. I presume you want to ask a supplementary question, member for
Kwinana, and I am more than prepared to give it, but the way that many people
in this place, on both sides, are behaving, that might not happen
Mr
C.J. BARNETT : I think the hospital opened in around 1997. Since then, the
population of Mandurah and the surrounding area has virtually doubled, yet the
hospital is basically the same size. There needs to be more public beds in
Mandurah and there happens to be, perhaps with the aged population in parts of
Mandurah, a high level of private health insurance in that area—I think
it is around 50 per cent of the population. There is clearly a demand for a
private hospital in Mandurah. Whether it is Health Solutions or another group,
I have to say that in principle this government supports an expansion of the
public hospital in Mandurah—the Peel Health Campus—and we would
welcome private investment in a private hospital. We want to expand and improve
health services for a growing population; that is what we want to do. What does
the Labor Party want to do? In its sole attempt to try to discredit a candidate
in the seat of Mandurah, it has gone to the lengths of accusing the people
operating that hospital of corruption. It has supported a United Voice campaign
of distributing disturbing and distressing material to parents, who are already
dealing with the anguish of an ill child. This was supported by the Labor Party
because the Leader of the Opposition has not had the courage or the integrity
to actually stand up and distance himself and the Labor Party from that United
Voice campaign. By your silence, you are condemned; you support that sort of
material—material that alarms already distressed parents.
Mr Speaker —
Several
members interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Members! Member for Cockburn!
Mr C.J. BARNETT : I
have not seen that email. The Liberal Party preselection committee selected
Tony Solin as the candidate for Mandurah.
Mr P.C. Tinley interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Willagee!
Mr P. Papalia : The
best party money can buy!
The SPEAKER :
Member for Warnbro, I formally call you to order for the second time today.
Member for Willagee, I call you to order for the third time today.
Mr C.J. BARNETT :
Yes, I think Tony Solin, in fact, headed up the foundation that raised money
for equipment and extensions to the hospital—at least I think that is
correct. That was his role as basically organising the fundraising campaign.
The former member for the area, Arthur Marshall, played a key role—I
think he may have chaired that—and they raised a great deal of money in
support of their community. I am sure that the member for Mandurah would be
aware of the many people in his community who contributed to that program
headed by Tony Solin —
Mr D.A. Templeman interjected.
Mr C.J. BARNETT :
Good on you for doing so.
I do not know Tony Solin well, but I launched his campaign —
Several members interjected.
Mr C.J. BARNETT :
No; I do not know him well; I have met him a few times, obviously.
Several members interjected.
Mr D.A. Templeman :
You sound like he was your best mate.
Mr C.J. BARNETT : I
do know he was a very fine footballer who played in a State of Origin game, I
know he has been very successful in running the foundation, I know he is
married with a great family and I know he has lived in the area for around
eight years. He seems to me to be a very worthy candidate and I can tell the
opposition now that he will run a very strong campaign, and do not be surprised
if Tony Solin becomes a member of Parliament, and the member for Mandurah is
not, because I think he is a far better person to represent Mandurah than the current
member for Mandurah.
Several members interjected.
Mr C.J. BARNETT :
The one thing we know about Tony Solin is that he supports health services in
Mandurah, because when the Peel Health Campus was built —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Keep
on practising the ventriloquism, member for Mandurah! I formally call you to
order for the second time today.
Mr C.J. BARNETT :
The Peel Health Campus, which was a project developed by the Richard Court–led
government in the 1990s, has been very successful.
Several members interjected.
Mr C.J. BARNETT :
It actually is. Okay, do not —
Mr F.M. Logan : It's
a farce.
Mr C.J. BARNETT :
It is a farce, is it?
Mr F.M. Logan : A
basket case —
Mr C.J. BARNETT :
Okay, so the Labor Party regards the Peel Health Campus as a basket case.
Member for Mandurah, do you agree with that?
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Cockburn, this is the second time I formally call you to order.
Mr C.J. BARNETT : I
do not know whether the member for Mandurah thinks that the Peel Health Campus
is a basket case.
Mr D.A. Templeman :
I want a good hospital for the people of Mandurah; it is all I have ever
wanted.
Mr C.J. BARNETT :
When the Peel Health Campus —
Mr D.A. Templeman :
And I want a hospital people can have confidence in. That is the answer to the
question. Do you want to ask me another one?
Mr P. Papalia : Now
they have paid you off, will they get their extension?
Mr
C.J. BARNETT : You are just awful.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Warnbro, I formally call you to order for the third
time today. I presume you want to ask a supplementary question, member for
Kwinana, and I am more than prepared to give it, but the way that many people
in this place, on both sides, are behaving, that might not happen
Mr
C.J. BARNETT : I think the hospital opened in around 1997. Since then, the
population of Mandurah and the surrounding area has virtually doubled, yet the
hospital is basically the same size. There needs to be more public beds in
Mandurah and there happens to be, perhaps with the aged population in parts of
Mandurah, a high level of private health insurance in that area—I think
it is around 50 per cent of the population. There is clearly a demand for a
private hospital in Mandurah. Whether it is Health Solutions or another group,
I have to say that in principle this government supports an expansion of the
public hospital in Mandurah—the Peel Health Campus—and we would
welcome private investment in a private hospital. We want to expand and improve
health services for a growing population; that is what we want to do. What does
the Labor Party want to do? In its sole attempt to try to discredit a candidate
in the seat of Mandurah, it has gone to the lengths of accusing the people
operating that hospital of corruption. It has supported a United Voice campaign
of distributing disturbing and distressing material to parents, who are already
dealing with the anguish of an ill child. This was supported by the Labor Party
because the Leader of the Opposition has not had the courage or the integrity
to actually stand up and distance himself and the Labor Party from that United
Voice campaign. By your silence, you are condemned; you support that sort of
material—material that alarms already distressed parents.
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