❓ Dr. Steve Thomas questions the Minister for Mines and Petroleum regarding access to Gold Corporation board minutes, particularly in light of the Perth Mint scandal. The Minister confirms no access was requested, citing confidentiality and board governance.
AnsweredQoN 287Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
GOLD CORPORATION — BOARD MINUTES
287. Hon Dr STEVE THOMAS to the parliamentary secretary
representing the Minister for Mines and Petroleum:
I refer to the minister's
answer to question without notice 234 asked on 16 March 2023 on the board of
the Gold Corporation, which oversees the
Perth Mint, and to sections 6(9) and 6(10) of the Gold Corporation Act 1987 ,
which state —
(9) For the purposes
specified in subsection (7) the Minister may —
(a) request Gold
Corporation to furnish information to the Minister;
(b) request the
Board to ensure that the Minister is given access to information; and
(c)
make use of the staff of Gold Corporation or of any subsidiary to obtain
information and to furnish it to the Minister.
(10)
�Gold Corporation shall comply with a request under subsection (9) and make
staff and facilities available to the Minister for the purposes of paragraph
(c) of that subsection.
I ask —
(1) Has the
minister used sections 6(9) and (10) as stated to request the board minutes of
Gold Corporation since being made the responsible minister in 2021?
(2) If no to (1),
given that the scandal surrounding the Perth Mint became public on 30 August
last year with the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre's
announcement of its investigation, why has the minister not requested access to
the minutes?
(3) Has the
minister used these sections of the establishing act to access any other
information in relation to the Perth Mint since 2021?
(4) If yes to
(3), what information was sought and on what dates?
287. Hon Dr STEVE THOMAS to the parliamentary secretary
representing the Minister for Mines and Petroleum:
I refer to the minister's
answer to question without notice 234 asked on 16 March 2023 on the board of
the Gold Corporation, which oversees the
Perth Mint, and to sections 6(9) and 6(10) of the Gold Corporation Act 1987 ,
which state —
(9) For the purposes
specified in subsection (7) the Minister may —
(a) request Gold
Corporation to furnish information to the Minister;
(b) request the
Board to ensure that the Minister is given access to information; and
(c)
make use of the staff of Gold Corporation or of any subsidiary to obtain
information and to furnish it to the Minister.
(10)
�Gold Corporation shall comply with a request under subsection (9) and make
staff and facilities available to the Minister for the purposes of paragraph
(c) of that subsection.
I ask —
(1) Has the
minister used sections 6(9) and (10) as stated to request the board minutes of
Gold Corporation since being made the responsible minister in 2021?
(2) If no to (1),
given that the scandal surrounding the Perth Mint became public on 30 August
last year with the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre's
announcement of its investigation, why has the minister not requested access to
the minutes?
(3) Has the
minister used these sections of the establishing act to access any other
information in relation to the Perth Mint since 2021?
(4) If yes to
(3), what information was sought and on what dates?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for some notice
of the question. The following information has been provided to me by the
Minister for Mines and Petroleum.
(1) No.
(2) Board minutes
are confidential except when required by law. For example, board minutes are
available to the Auditor General as and if required. Minutes of government
trading enterprises are not shared with the minister because this would
undermine the governance oversight role of each board.
(3) No.
(4) Refer to the
answer to (3).
of the question. The following information has been provided to me by the
Minister for Mines and Petroleum.
(1) No.
(2) Board minutes
are confidential except when required by law. For example, board minutes are
available to the Auditor General as and if required. Minutes of government
trading enterprises are not shared with the minister because this would
undermine the governance oversight role of each board.
(3) No.
(4) Refer to the
answer to (3).
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