❓ Premier McGowan rejects the need for a Royal Commission into Gold Corporation, highlighting the opposition's numerous calls for costly inquiries and asserting his government is already addressing the issues.
AnsweredQoN 119Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
GOLD CORPORATION — FEDERAL TREASURER'S
COMMENTS
119. Mr R.S. LOVE to the Premier:
I have a supplementary question.
Does the Premier continue to downplay the seriousness of these revelations
because he is concerned about what a royal commission may uncover?
COMMENTS
119. Mr R.S. LOVE to the Premier:
I have a supplementary question.
Does the Premier continue to downplay the seriousness of these revelations
because he is concerned about what a royal commission may uncover?
AnswerView source ↗
No. The opposition has called for
five royal commissions now into things as diverse as the Kimberley floods and COVID. It called for one into Banksia Hill
Detention Centre, Gold Corporation and the health system. If the Liberals and Nationals were in office, it would be a lawyer-led recovery in the state.
About $500 million to $1 billion would be spent on the royal commissions
members opposite have called for in the last couple of months, let alone what
they will call for in the next two years. We are rectifying the matters that
were brought to attention that members opposite took no action over during their
eight and a half years in office. The Leader of the Opposition needs to
understand that the issues concerning the United States and the model code that
applies to some of the states have been around since 1998—during the
Court Liberal government, the Labor government, and then the Barnett Liberal–National
government and then my government. It was brought to our attention and we are
fixing it. In relation to the AUSTRAC
inquiry, they have been around since the mid-2000s, during the entire term of
the previous government—and we are fixing it.
On
the other issues concerning the alloying of gold for the Shanghai Gold
Exchange, as I explained to the member — I think the member still does not understand—our gold is 99.99 per
cent pure, which meets all international standards . The remaining 0.01 per
cent of the gold is meant to be a combination of copper, lead and silver. The
Mint gold is slightly more silver than copper. That is the issue. That was
rectified because it was identified in two gold bars. If the opposition wants
to spend $50 million on a royal commission into that, we will add that to its
expenses and its commitments. If that is what it wants to do, if it wants to
say that is its commitment if it is elected, we will add all these royal
commissions to its spend.
Several members interjected.
Mr M. McGOWAN : Are they not?
They are not commitments the opposition is making. They are just things the
opposition is saying now that it is not committed to.
five royal commissions now into things as diverse as the Kimberley floods and COVID. It called for one into Banksia Hill
Detention Centre, Gold Corporation and the health system. If the Liberals and Nationals were in office, it would be a lawyer-led recovery in the state.
About $500 million to $1 billion would be spent on the royal commissions
members opposite have called for in the last couple of months, let alone what
they will call for in the next two years. We are rectifying the matters that
were brought to attention that members opposite took no action over during their
eight and a half years in office. The Leader of the Opposition needs to
understand that the issues concerning the United States and the model code that
applies to some of the states have been around since 1998—during the
Court Liberal government, the Labor government, and then the Barnett Liberal–National
government and then my government. It was brought to our attention and we are
fixing it. In relation to the AUSTRAC
inquiry, they have been around since the mid-2000s, during the entire term of
the previous government—and we are fixing it.
On
the other issues concerning the alloying of gold for the Shanghai Gold
Exchange, as I explained to the member — I think the member still does not understand—our gold is 99.99 per
cent pure, which meets all international standards . The remaining 0.01 per
cent of the gold is meant to be a combination of copper, lead and silver. The
Mint gold is slightly more silver than copper. That is the issue. That was
rectified because it was identified in two gold bars. If the opposition wants
to spend $50 million on a royal commission into that, we will add that to its
expenses and its commitments. If that is what it wants to do, if it wants to
say that is its commitment if it is elected, we will add all these royal
commissions to its spend.
Several members interjected.
Mr M. McGOWAN : Are they not?
They are not commitments the opposition is making. They are just things the
opposition is saying now that it is not committed to.
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